Warriors of Sky
by Gamewizard2008
Summary: Story 11 of the Newborn Saga, Part 4 of the Emperor Prequels, the Free Kingdom Arc. With the KND being threatened by the Pirate Emperors, Sector V seeks to form an alliance with the Sky God Pirates before they can become their enemy. But can they really become friends with such a chaotic, disorganized crew?
1. The Rise of God Skaios

**This story will center on the Sky God Pirates, the Fourth Pirate Empire, captained by our youngest scallywag!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1: The Rise of God Skaios_**

 **Spirit World**

Spear Pillar was not often a peaceful sanctuary. The Gods of Time and Space would often shake the universe with their petty squabbles. There would be a black hole there and a time rift there… but one thing that was very uncommon was wind and lightning. This was a new phenomenon as a great conflict was transpiring atop the pillar. With one final, blinding flash of lightning, he took off flying: an infant-sized being whose skin matched the sky and clouds, clothed in only dark-red shorts and a matching bandanna. His yellow eyes brimmed with victory as his great angelic wings stroked the air. (Play "Dark Pit" from _Kid Icarus_!)

 _"Into the shining dawn, to fight another day."_ The imp swiftly dodged the Centurion guards with ease. _"The world keeps fighting on, and I see black and gray."_ Rayquaza tried to ensnare the imp, only to be repelled by a bursting air bubble. _"Before the night falls, I'm gonna take flight,"_ the imp deflected Cresselia's Moon Blades with barrel-rolls, _"and then I'm gonna find my WAAAAAY!"_ The imp dove through the surface of the Spirit World like a wind drill, then was in the Underworld.

 _"Into the fading dawn, I'll beat all the odds."_ He flew headfirst through the City of the Dead, his hurricane demolishing all buildings. _"The world keeps fighting on, so I scream to the sky, DAMN THE GODS!"_ His wind carved through Groudon and Kyogre like tissue paper! He glided 'cross the Sanzu Sea as a heavenly light granted him passage to the Living World.

 _"Soar through the sky… on cherubim wings."_ Crossing the mortal ocean, his wings split the sea, sinking passing ships and nearby shores. _"They look at me, think they know everything."_ Giant battleships blasted the imp, but the ammo was sent right back by titanic tornadoes. _"All alone, but now I'm free! You can't buy my loyalty!"_ Shaded figures tried to shoot him and cut him to no avail. _"If this is my worst you see, welcome to the darker side of meeeeeee!"_

Wanted posters scattered in the wind, making his likeness known to the worlds: _"FREE BORN" SKAIOS – 58,000,000_. As years passed, more posters flew: 97 million, 125 million, 250, 790, 18 billion, 94 billion, before ultimately settling with, "Your Own Planet."

 _"THE DARKER SIDE OF MEEEEEE!"_

 _"SHYAH! !"_

"Huh?!" Skaios whipped around with a gasp, too late to dodge as the swordsman brought down his blade. (End song.)

 **Pacific Ocean; two years ago**

 _"Let's kill merrily… We don't need adults. Can we make a hundred corpses? Let's have a competition!"_

Rumors have begun surfacing of a brand new band of pirates, and any sailors who hear their carefree shanty would soon meet a terrible end. It sounded fun and inviting, like children playing on a playground, but any Japanese-speakers who could understand the lyrics would feel repulsed. _"If there's Monokuma, we are invincible! Let's play with Monokuma, always."_

They sailed on a traditional pirate ship, its sail black and white as it flew the colors of a monochrome bear. The elementary grade crewmen were dressed in school uniforms, except they were torn and ragged, and they reeked as if they hadn't bathed in weeks. The six kids were a green-haired girl in a wheelchair, a pink-haired girl with large pigtails, a pale-eyed boy whose head was covered by a brown ugly mask, a blue-haired boy, a red-haired boy, and a brown-haired boy, who seemed to be two years older than his crewmates, and his bare chest was covered in tribal designs.

 _"Let's kill with a smile, let's kill them all! Gather corpses and make mountains, graveyards of adults!"_

The red and brown-haired boys locked arms and danced on the deck, the others singing along to the shanty. _"Hunt! Hunt! Monokuma! Torment! Torment! Monokuma!"_ The others threw stuffed monochrome bears into the air. _"If we all sing together, the blood will overflow. With Monokuma, let's all smile."_

The song abruptly finished when something whizzed through the clouds and into the sea, rocking the _Spark of Hope_. "Oh my gosh! It's a shooting star!" the pink girl exclaimed. "Yuta, dive under and catch it! I wanna make a wish!"

"Aye!" The brown-haired boy dove into the sea. The object in question had already sunk several meters into the depths, but Yuta was like a merman as he swam further and further in no time at all. What he found was not a meteor, but an impish creature, peaking his curiosity as he caught it in his arms. Channeling chi to his feet, a whirling current returned Yuta to the surface, rising as a geyser so the 10-year-old could set foot on deck.

"That's not a shooting star!" the pink girl complained.

"Aw, man." The masked boy moaned in a depressed tone. "I was gonna wish to be a hideous, disgusting bug. Then everybody would hate me…"

Yuta bent the water out of the creature's lungs. "Whatever it is, there's no way it woulda survived a crash like that. You'd have to be a-"

"GOD, I never been so drunk in my life! !" The imp sprung up into the air before landing on the deck. "Arr?" The imp surveyed the area around him, along with the six humans that dwarfed him in size. "Well, shiver me timbers! Ay never thought I'd meet a band of fellow pirates."

"You're a… pirate?" the blue boy asked.

"Why, of course he is, Nagisa." the crippled girl replied with a cute smile. "Just look at his eyepatch." She indicated the patch covering his right eye. "That's the mark of a true pirate."

"Then who is he?"

"I be Captain Skaios!" The imp stretched a tiny arm to the heavens. "Sailor of a thousand galaxies! The most wanted criminal in the known universe-sah! And who be you scurvy dogs?"

"Avast, Cap'n Skaios!" the red boy declared with a grin. "I be Masaru Daimon, Captain of the Hope Pirates! With my firebending, I carry the flame of victory! And if that not be enough, I'm known as the 'P.E. King.' I trampled all me mates from gym class and Ay'm the fastest in me hometown."

"I'm the vice-captain, Nagisa Shingetsu." the blue boy followed with a toneless frown. "I don't have an element, but my intelligence more than makes up for it. They call me the 'Ultimate Academic.'"

"My name is Kotoko Utsugi." followed the pink girl. "I'm called the 'Dramatic Demon' because of my love for acting, cuteness, and peeled chestnuts. I'm not a bender, but I'm an extremely capable fighter. One time, I beat Masaru so hard that he cried and wet his pants."

"Only 'cause I trained her well!"

"On the contrary, he was the one who needed training." Kotoko winked.

"And I'm Jataro Kemuriii…" The masked boy drawled out his ending vowels. "I'm reallyyyyyyy good at art. I can paint, I can sculpt, I can draw… I'm an earthbender, too, but I'm sooooo bad at it. I don't think I'll ever improve. And my pirate name is 'Ugly.' Just Ugly. My face is so horrible that your other eye will melt, and your ruined eye will grow back. I also wanna be a priest when I grow up, but I don't think that'll ever happen…"

"Um, and my name is Yuta Asahina." followed the dark-skinned boy with a peppy tone. "My waterbending makes me a super pro swimmer! I can dive under the ocean in search of treasure, so that makes me the crew's salvager. I'm actually half-Japanese and half-Adabat, which you can tell by my skin tone! My people are natural-born waterbenders. My tribal name is Yutax, so that's my moniker."

"And my name is Monaca Towa." the green-haired girl spoke last. "My legs got squished by my parents on an 'accident.' Now everyone gathers around me in pity. Have you ever heard of Free Time, Skaios? It's a special period where people are free of burdens and can spend it with friends and families. When our friendship grows stronger, our chi becomes stronger as well. Monaca is so happy to have friends. She is also a psychicbender, and they call her 'Li'l Hope.'"

"So, do you have a crew, Skaios?" Masaru asked.

"I be a lone wolf, maties! Ay'm too fast to follow and too fast to catch. Millions have tried to cut down ol' Skaios, but all have failed! All 'em… except fer one lucky dog." The imp lifted his eyepatch and revealed the dry, decayed socket underneath.

"AAAAH!" the kids yelped. "Who did that to you?!" Kotoko asked.

"A scurvy dog ran me through with 'is sword, he did. But since then, ol' Skaios suffered nary a scratch. The fool had not long for a second act before I blew him down to Davy Jones."

"That's so amazing!" Masaru's eyes sparkled. "I never thought someone so small could be that strong!"

"He doesn't look that strong." Nagisa said. "How do we know this isn't made up?"

"I can do this." Skaios said before stirring the wind around the ship and creating a tsunami that threatened to drown them.

 _"AAAAAAAAH! WE BELIEVE YOU WE BELIEVE YOU WE BELIEVE YOU!"_ they cried (except Monaca).

Skaios protected them with an air bubble. "Har har! Skaios wouldn't dare drown his new mates. Pirating is the best thing the gods created."

"Hey, Skaios, since you don't have a crew, you wanna join ours?" Yuta asked.

"Huh? No one's ever asked me that… I-I mean, what makes ye think ye are worthy of the great Skaios?!"

"Um, I don't really know, but…" Masaru scratched his head, "but your eye was taken by an adult, wasn't it?"

"So what if it was?"

"Well… we don't like adults either."

 _"WHY THE HELL DID YOU BRING THE POLICE HERE?!" Mr. Daimon thundered, beating his son with a bat. "You were supposed to bring the alcohol, dammit! What good are you if you can't even do that?!"_

 _"I'm sorry, Dad, please! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"_

 _…_

 _"Mom, why can't I take my mask off? It's starting to smell and rot…" Jataro asked._

 _"Because you were my greatest mistake and you're better off forgotten! And if you say another word, I'll stick a cork in your mouth!"_

 _…_

 _"Sigh, the subject isn't showing any improvement." Mr. Shingetsu sighed. "He keeps stopping to rest his eyes. Perhaps we should try for a new one…"_

 _Nagisa sat at his desk in silence, eyes practically glued to a dozen books as a cord pumped drugs into his blood._

 _…_

 _"Look at all this money you've brought us, Kotoko! And it didn't even hurt at all, did it? I told you those men were gentle."_

 _"Y-Y-Y-Yes…" Kotoko curled up on her bed, shuddering from an incurable chilling feeling. "G-G-G-G-G-G…Gentle…"_

Skaios' pupil shrunk to a nano size. "What the fuck… Aren't you human kids? I thought human parents were… nicer than that?"

"Yeah, well, we're different." Nagisa stated. "Our parents were the worst of the worst. Even the local KND sector wouldn't help us. That's why we took to the sea and escaped, robbing their treehouse of some weapons and material so we could build this ship. 'Course, Monokuma was a big help, too."

"Monokuma?"

"Monaca's family owns an electronics business." Monaca explained, holding up her monochrome bear. "These special Monokuma robots were designed as servants, but Monaca repurposed them a tad."

"I see… Wait, what about you?" Skaios asked Yuta.

"Oh, yeah. You see these carvings on my body?" He showed both sides of his bare chest. "My dad cuts them on me as part of a tribal tradition, and he makes me take baths in steaming water so they always stay fresh. He says it helps me mold my chi."

"Arrrr… well, it's settled, then: ye all are part of me crew now!"

"We are?!" Kotoko exclaimed. "But that's not right! We're supposed to be our own crew!"

"It's all right, Kotoko." Monaca smiled. "Skaios will be a wonderful ally for us. After all, we can't just keep aimlessly sailing the ocean forever. We need to make a name for ourselves and set an example for all children. I think we need to rid this world of _all_ evil adults."

"But we only took to the sea to be free from the evil adults." Yuta replied. "I mean, I don't know about you guys, but I'm kinda happy like this."

"But don't you think it's unfair?" Monaca frowned in a mock pouty fashion. "There are so many kids who don't get to be free because of mean adults. But if we're in a big crew with Captain Skaios, we'll have the strength to liberate those kids."

"Well, then why don't we just join the KND?"

At that instant, Monaca began swinging her arms crazily. "Monaca! Told! You! The! KND! Don't! Care! About! Us!"

"I-I know, I know, you said they concern their selves with bigger problems. But we can be a sector that helps kids like us."

"No! KND! Are! Biased! Cannot! Trust! Them! We are the answer, and we need to accomplish what the KND have forgotten to do! We must kill the evil adults! Every! Single! One!"

"Yeah! Kill the adults!" Masaru cheered. "Captain Skaios, will you help us in our noble quest?!"

"BLEEEEEHHHH!" The pirate threw up into the sea. "Huff…huff… Note to self: rum is an overrated pirate drink."

"How old did you say you were again?" Nagisa asked.

"Ay don't know. Anyhow, I sympathize with your stories, mates. Ay've had me own misadventures with adults; tryin' to lock me away because I was too 'important' or 'free spirited.' Then, a couple years ago, I decided that a pirate's life was for me."

"Fascinating. But you mind explaining why you fell from the sky? Where were you before now?"

"Well, I were drinking in some sort of bar in space, and I think I got swept up in a wormhole after I flew out."

"You flew through space without a ship?" Jataro asked. "But you can't even use airbending in space. I think he's lying…"

"Wanna bet?" Skaios immediately enveloped the ship in an air bubble. With wide and panicked eyes (though Monaca was unfazed), the children rose beyond the clouds, screaming as they bypassed the stratosphere.

"NO, PUT US BACK, PUT US BACK!" Masaru screamed. "We're gonna suffocate, we're…?" Stars glittered the universe and they could see either end of the Earth. Their little vessel was adrift in space. "We're not… suffocating."

"I can't believe it!" Yuta said. "There shouldn't be any oxygen this high up! How are you airbending?!"

"Hold on…" Nagisa thought back to what Yuta said before. "A-Are you… an actual god?!"

"Yar har har! And what if I am, maties?!"

"B-B-But… what are you doing here?! Why…"

"Who cares if I am, ye scurvy dogs? Who cares if I'm a god and you're mortal? The fact is we're all pirates! As far as I care, yer all equal to me. You're either above me, or I'm above you." He hovered over them. "And I Skaios, the Free God, accept you as my friends."

"Ufufufufufu! This is delightful!" Monaca raised arms and telekinetically spun her wheelchair. "Monaca already has the perfect idea. Her family owns a ship that's much more ginormous than this tiny boat. And with Skaios' help, we can carry it through space. We'll destroy dozens of adults and towns with Skaios' help, and find more children and pirates to join our cause! And we, the Warriors of Hope, will rise as the Warriors of Sky!"

"Wow, what an epic name! You're brilliant, Monaca!" Kotoko beamed.

"And with our power, we'll form a new world!" Masaru announced. "A world where everyone is free to do whatever they want! That will be our goal, and it'll be AWESOME!"

 _"YAAAAAAAHHHH!"_

Yuta's cheer, however, was more forced, his heart filled with worry rather than joy. Making friends with these kids might have been his greatest mistake…

 **Towa City**

Upon returning to their hometown, Skaios blew through town like a missile, leaving cars crashed and people half-dead on the streets. Yuta lashed Water Whips at cops and Masaru molded fireballs in his hands, throwing them like baseballs to set cop cars ablaze. Jataro channeled Earth Chi to his chiseling knife to cut chunks of earth out of the road and throw them at more cops. Kotoko was light as air as she swiftly dodged stun guns and kicked them into submission.

The same fates were to befall the employees of Towa Corp.. Skaios' airbending was too powerful for the humans or the guardian robots, and before long, the seven pirates were at the top of the tower, basking in the marvel of a tremendous airship that had a mansion built on its deck. "Ufufufu! That ship is Towa Corp.'s pride, the _Light of Hope_. Monaca's parents are so conceited. It was designed to deliver our products to other nations, but it's chockfull of weapons and perhaps certain 'illegal' goodies."

"What kind of illegal goodies?" Nagisa asked, armed with a 4x4 laser rifle.

"Monaca recalls her father mentioning a man called Dr. Clown."

The storage area on the _Light of Hope_ was indeed filled with weapons, but what really drew their eyes was a crate from Bang Gas Industries. The crate contained four strange fruits with odd swirly designs. "What sorts of delicacies be these?" Skaios asked.

"These items are Devil Fruits." Nagisa replied, reading a paper that came with the package. "Supposedly, consuming them will grant us a metahuman power. Its only drawback is that we'll lose our ability to swim."

"I can never swim ever again?!" Yuta exclaimed. "Count me out! No no no!"

"Me, too!" Kotoko stomped her feet and stuck her tongue out. "They look oh so icky! Yuck yuck yuck!"

"Suit yourselves." Masaru replied. "What say the rest of you? No objections? Great! Then let's decide which fruits we want."

After Nagisa read the fruits' descriptions, the kids decided: Masaru ate a watermelon that was swirly like a portal, Jataro ate a large pear, Nagisa ate some red grapes, and Monaca ate a round black apple with a long stem (it looked like a bomb). _"ULP! It's so awful."_ The kids gagged.

"So, how about we play around with our new powers a bit?" Monaca asked. "I bet Jataro's would be especially useful."

"Really? But how?"

"Let's take this ship to the stratosphere. I bet the view is amazing!"

Aboard their new and superior vessel, the Hope Pirates and Skaios gazed over the entirety of Towa as though it were plastered on a giant map. Jataro conjured a camera from his own chi and snapped a photo. The camera printed out an image so clear, one could reach inside it. Jataro rolled up his sleeve and stuck his hand into the image.

Screams erupted through town when a godlike pale hand with filthy long nails descended from the clouds. With a devilish smirk, Jataro dug his nails into the earth around Towa, using a tiny, yet focused amount of Earth Chi to separate the entire city from the planet itself. He lifted the city off the world, holding it as though it were a small rock.

"SHIVER ME FREAKIN' TIMBERS!" Skaios' eye nearly popped back into being from bewilderment. "What kinda magic is this?!"

"Jataro ate the Window-Window Fruit." Nagisa recapped. "A Nen-class, it allows him to take photos of an area and stick his body through it, magnifying himself in relation to the photo's perspective. The bigger the area, the bigger the result. Here are the weaknesses: first, only Jataro's body can enter the photos; nobody else, and no objects can enter either, including his clothes. Second, he can only affect the area within the photo, and nothing outside its border. If anything like a person or this landmass exits the border, it'll be safe from his giant range."

"But I can pick up giant chunks of earth and throw them at enemies outside the border." Jataro informed. "What I'm wondering is, can you do with this landmass what you can with our ships, Skaios?"

"I say we find out!" The impish captain soared down and orbited the landmass several times, creating a windy bubble over it. Within minutes, the city of Towa was uplifting into the stars. Towa had become its own planetoid with its own Oxygen Zone.

Skaios and his friends viewed their accomplishment with pride. "This…This is the beginning." Ambition was fueling Skaios. "This is the birth of our kingdom. This is… THE FREE KINGDOM!"

Skaios led his crewmen to all the best places he visited in the universe. Soon, news channels were raving about multiple planets losing chunks of their worlds. Skaios and the Hope Pirates gained infamy and popularity amongst pirates and criminals alike.

In the headquarters of the White Lotus, Vice-Commander Annie Wilconson studied a news article of the growing threat. "This Skaios person looks a lot like Vaati. His goals are kind of similar, too."

"Vaati's been missing since the battle at Mariejoa." replied Officer Katniss Everdeen, a black-haired woman with a bow. "Do you think there's a connection?"

"Perhaps we should pay this Skaios a visit. At the very least, he does seem like somebody Vaati would be attracted to."

Aboard the _Halberd II_ , Meta Knight read the article. "This kind of power feels oddly familiar. Perhaps I should arrange a meeting with this Skaios."

In an unknown area, a red-eyed ninja read the article. "So, this is the one? Indeed… this Skaios might prove very helpful to our plan."

Somewhere on Earth, another band of pirates read about them on an Intergalactic Newspaper. Their ship was white with the figurehead of a clown, had dice pattern decorations, and its sail bore the Jolly Roger of two diamonds: one resembling a divided face with a red smiling half and sad white half, and one with an "E" inside a square "C", with the name _DICE_ written beneath.

The crewmen all wore white straitjackets and clown masks, and their purple-haired captain was a scrawny boy in a purple cape and general's cap. "This Skaios guy actually seems pretty fun." Captain Kokichi smiled. "Maybe we oughta give him a call."

 **Planet Avalar; Evermore (five months ago)**

King Evan stood upon the castle balcony and addressed his people. Legions of faithful citizens cheered for him: he who ruled Evermore and led the Union of Ni no Kuni. For a 14-year-old to accomplish this much was an amazing feat. And Tani was so honored to be able to stand beside him. It was an odd feeling, but being around Evan, it felt as if butterflies were fluttering over her heart. Tani must have been going cuckoo to think that. Still, who would have thought that a raggedy band of pirates such as her own could be a part of it?

And that's when a shadow was cast over the kingdom. A tremendous galleon composed of alien technology loomed over their peaceful domain like a cloud of death. "QUICK! EVACUATE THE CITY!" Evan cried.

"YOU HEARD HIM!" one of the guards yelled. "All citizens, EVACUATE!"

People were screaming and fleeing the town, but fortunately, the pirates only cared about storming the castle. Lasers fired down, blowing holes open as the pirates descended, and Evan and Tani did their best to cut the cutthroats down, sword and spear in hand. That was when a great gust of wind blew into the castle, taking the form of a dark-cloaked figure with silver hair and a red eye. "Wh-Who are you?!" Evan asked.

"My name is Vaati of the Sky God Pirates, and I am here to put an end to your reign. Knowing you are a kind ruler, I will not kill you, but I must demand that you abolish your government and ensure true freedom to your citizens."

"My citizens are already free! And in any case, I WON'T let you HURT THEM!" Evan swung his sword at his neck, but Vaati's Logia wind body was unaffected.

The wind mage grabbed Evan by the neck and soared outside. "EVAN!" Tani shouted, trying to chase them. However, an earthquake suddenly transpired, and the ceiling above Tani collapsed. "AAAAAH!"

"TANI!" Her father, Batu swooped by on an aircraft and grabbed her.

As Vaati carried Evan outside, the king was horrified as his precious castle was demolished by a tremendous tornado. The symbol of his kingdom, pride of Evermore, was slowly crumbling under this raging wind. "This is the power of Emperor Skaios." Vaati said. Within the cyclone was a bright blue glow, and Evan could see a tiny, shadowed figure in the center of it. "His wind blows with pure freedom, and soon it will sweep across the entire universe! If you refuse to accept freedom, King Evan… we must enforce it!" Vaati raised the Declaration of Interdependence, which bore the signatures of all the continent's united kingdoms. The wizard burned the Declaration with a simple spell.

"Mmm…ugh…" Light slowly returned to Tani's eyes, and she found herself in her father's arms. "D-Dad? What happened?"

"We couldn't beat them, Tani. I had to get you away from there."

Tani viewed across the fields, mouth agape as their castle was a crumbled shell of its former self. "W…Where's Evan?"

"They took him, Tani. Took him aboard their ship. But don't worry. I 'ave a plan to save him."

"You…You think we should JOIN them?!" Tani shouted after hearing his proposal.

"Only until we have a chance to save Evan! It'll be fine, Tani; we'll just make up a little fib and with any luck, they'll let us be their allies. Now, do ya want to save Evan or don't you?"

"…" Tani faced the kingdom with passion in her eyes. "Orright. Let's do it, Dad."

 **Current time**

 _For as long as we at Intergalactic News can record, the young and mysterious pirate known as Skaios has evaded the law and terrorized hundreds of planets. Recently, not only has Skaios amassed hundreds of followers into a powerful crew, he has currently "stolen" a total of 21 landmasses from multiple worlds, a record-breaking feat for any criminal. Governments have ranked him among the universe's worst criminals, and the pirate community have officially given Skaios the title of "Emperor."_

 _According to reports, Skaios' primary goal is to demolish governments and assimilate nations into his "Free Kingdom." He has stolen the capitals of Evermore and Artemyra from Avalar, Inkopolis from Mushroom World, and an island of mutant animals from Superbia, to name a few. They continue to invite more people to join their free world._

A lone pirate ship with a raccoon figurehead was closing in on the Free Kingdom. "Are you really sure they're gonna let us in so casually?" Mason Dimalanta asked.

"'ey, there's no one freer than Sunny-Fist Sheila." replied their raccoon captain. "They should be begging for a girl like me to join!"

"I just hope they'll be willing to make an alliance with us." Chris said. "Or if they're even safe to make allies with."

"Yeah, but they may be our best chance at stopping the other Emperors." Aurora replied. "Sigh… I wonder if Cheren would approve of this."

* * *

 **Has anyone noticed that 2018 was the Year of Crossovers? We got things like _Smash Ultimate_ , _Infinity War_ , _Wreck-It Ralph 2_ , _Jump Force_ and _KHIII_ trailers, and not to mention major Gameverse stories like _World Rings_ or the Emperor Prequels. And it seems like it'll continue to 2019, too. Indeed, this was a great year to be the king! X)**

 **Anyway, this introduces the Warriors of Hope (plus Yuta), the first crossovers from _Danganronpa_! Those lyrics to Dark Pit's song are from a YouTube video.**


	2. All Day, Every Day

**Play "Arctic Cruise" from _A Hat in Time_!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2: All Day, Every Day_**

 **Mushroom World; Toad Town Harbor**

Nights on Mushroom were among the most beautiful, and it was no question why the people honored stars. They would bless the passengers with a safe voyage as they boarded the _Saint Rosalina_. Mushroomians were eager to board the most luxurious cruise liner on the planet. "Are we ready to set sail?" asked the captain, a brown sentient walrus, into his phone. There was a crashing sound, followed by, _"Arf arf arf!"_ The captain sighed and hung up.

The six operatives of Sector MG gazed at the marvel of the _Rosalina_. "Woooow, Maria!" Wendy Marvell beamed. "It was so kind of your mom to book us a passage on this!"

"Being a princess sure is great, huh?" Romeo asked.

"For the last time, I'm not a princess, anymore!" Maria shouted, wearing a sky-blue vacation shirt with Shine Sprite designs, plus blue shorts and sandals. She was in a wheelchair.

"Well, your mom is still the queen." Oliver Orson replied. "She gave us a new Gold Shroom Card and everything."

"In that case, I'm totally piggin' out." Philip Blakely replied. "They better have loads of cheese on this baby."

"I just hope they have a good place for the pets." Kiki Yamaka said.

"Why, we don't got any… WAIT a minute!" Phil flushed, facing Kiki angrily as she snickered. "You know, I'm finding your jokes to be really offensive."

"Not as offensive as this!" Kiki tauntingly raised Phil's jar of pills and ran off.

"KIKIIII!" Phil began to chase her around the harbor.

"Maria!" a woman called. The group faced left, seeing a green-haired Mobian dog, whom they recognized as Cheadle Yorkshire. She wore a blue top with gold ring designs and a sky-blue sarong and sandals. "Looks like I made it in time."

"Miss Yorkshire! I didn't know you were coming, too. But aren't you, like, the Queen of Mobius?"

"Chancellor, really, but I have people to run things in my absence. I'm sure they'll survive without me. I offered to come with you to make sure your leg gets a healthy treatment. After all, such a brave princess deserves only the best!"

"NO, I DON'T DESERVE THE BEST! I'm not a princess anymore, gosh darn it! I renounced my title!"

"Oh, there you are, Princess Maria." The captain approached them. "We've got the VIP cabin set up for you and your little party."

"I DON'T WANT A LUXURY CABIN!"

"Hewwo, Pwincess Mawia." Two little white seals in attendants' uniforms flopped up. "We, the attendants of the _Saint Wosawina_ , will be happy to cater to youw evewy need. We awe so honored to pwease the beautiful pwincess of the Mushwoom Kingdom."

Maria's sweet young heart was melting at the total cuteness. "You may pwease me however you wike, wittle seals."

"I guess we get the luxury cabin." Romeo shrugged. "Fine by me."

"Excuse me, strangers." An adorable voice spoke. They were approached by a green-haired girl in a wheelchair and black dress. "Would you please help roll my wheelchair onto the boat? It looks like quite a long path and my arms aren't strong enough."

"Aren't you a little young to be traveling alone, pup?" the captain asked.

"I'll help you." Romeo offered, beginning to push her toward the ramp. The velvet path made a couple horizontal turns before resuming ascension to the deck. "Geez, why are these lines always so complex? I guess so it can fit multiple people, but it's such a chore."

"Think of it like a videogame." the girl said. "You'll feel more proud with the more obstacles you clear."

"Heheh. Well, here we are, I guess." They arrived at the deck of the ship, with Romeo's friends close behind. "It's kinda funny because my friend is handicapped, too."

"Your friend is the Princess of Mushroom, isn't she?"

"Well, she prefers not to be called that."

"Ufufu! Perhaps that is best. Monaca thanks you for your kind assistance." The girl reached back and shook Romeo's white sash.

The boy took her hand and shook it. "My pleasure. Need me to guide you to your room?"

"Monaca can manage it from here. She hopes we enjoy the voyage." She rolled off on her own.

"Aww, such a gentleman, Romeo." Wendy cooed, scoring a blush from the boy.

"Now, let's dump our junk on the floor and hit the swimming pool!" Maria cheered.

A gentle tune that mixed accordions with acoustic guitars was playing on the speakers. Maria kicked back on an inflatable chair in the deck pool, slurping on a milkshake. Two seals were whacking a volleyball over her from either side. She saw Romeo up on the diving board, performing a cannonball that caused a large wave.

Kiki, Oliver, and Phil explored the poolside, seeing a seal on its back and holding an egg to its tummy. Adored by this, they slowly approached the seal. Its eyes were closed in bliss. Then, once they were close, the seal spoke a single word:

"Egg."

Their hearts exploded from the overwhelming cuteness. They would have to stay clear of these seals, because their cuteness could kill.

Wendy and Cheadle found a daycare adjacent to the pool. The desk had a cardboard seal and a sign that said, _Must be this smol to enter_. "Oh dear, it seems we're not 'smol' enough." Cheadle said with a humored smile.

"Not without a little magic!" Wendy grinned, waving her wand. "Reducio!" She miniaturized both herself and the chancellor to six inches tall.

"Hm hm hm! I say we're definitely smol now." Cheadle laughed, the two passing under the desk as though it were a truck's garage. Several Yoshi toddlers were scampering about the daycare. Some Yoshis spotted the tiny visitors and went to see them.

"Ooo, look, Miss Yorkshire! Giant Yoshis!" Wendy beamed. "Shall we go for a ride?"

The Yoshis licked their lips in hunger.

"Pardon me, children." a Mobian koala said to Ollie, Phil, and Kiki. "Have you seen where Miss Yorkshire went to? Always running off, she is."

"I think she and Wendy went in there." Phil pointed at the daycare. The koala walked over as the automatic door opened.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" The tiny Wendy and Cheadle skittered out, followed by a stampede of baby Yoshis. They jumped into the pool with a little splish.

They later went to the dining room, where Maria insisted they sit at an ordinary table instead of the VIP table. Of course, this didn't hold Phil and Romeo back from ordering all the tastiest items on the menu; in Phil's case, he got cheese pie, cheese cake, cheese fries, a cheese buffet fit for a mouse king.

"Mmmmm, oh yes, oh yeeeeesss…" Phil moaned as he gobbled up 10 fries at once. "This is how humanity is meant to live."

"Ewwww!" Kiki groaned. "For someone pretending to be human, you're becoming a FAAAAAATTY rat!"

"Yeah, well your shorts ain't exactly a Size 1."

"Hey!" Kiki flushed, "These shorts were specially designed with extra thickness so my butt doesn't hurt sitting on a broom all day!"

"She's not wrong." Oliver replied. "I get kinda itchy after playing Quidditch, and one time my pants ripped and splinters got in-"

"Are we really discussing this during dinner?" Romeo said, repulsed.

"No, keep the gross talk going!" Maria insisted. "This is very un-princess-like. Here, my turn: my leg cut smells like a sweaty orange."

"Maria, manners!" Cheadle scolded. "That's it, you're going to bed early."

"But Miss Yorkshirrrrre!"

Over a course of four days, the seven enjoyed their pleasant cruise. Oliver and Romeo gambled in the casino, uncaring with how much of Peach's money they lost—until Cheadle socked the boys in the heads and ordered them to be more respectful.

On the 2nd night, Cheadle ordered a pile of warm towels from the laundry room, allowing Maria to lie on them. "Aaaahhhh…" Maria sighed, for the feeling of her arched back against the hot, fluffy towels was euphoric. "Is this how I would've slept in the castle?"

"I don't think it's healthy to actually sleep in that position. But it is a good stress reliever, isn't it?"

The central area had everyone's cabins stacked up over a garden. There was a statue of the legendary "Merseal" under a beautiful reflective waterfall. "My dweam is to one day mawwy a Merseaw." a seal said.

"But it just looks like a female seal." Oliver replied.

"Pwease don't demowish my imagination."

On the fourth night, Cheadle rubbed Maria's leg wound with a healing cream. "Can I try jumping now?"

"Okay, but do it gently, Maria."

The former princess climbed off her chair and lightly jumped. She made consecutive little jumps. Other vacationers were drawn in. "Princess Maria is jumping!" a Toad girl whispered.

"So coooool!" a Koopa boy in a backwards cap said.

"Alright, everyone needs to back off!" Cheadle stated. "Maria's not an exhibit. Guards, form a wall." Her koala men circled Maria and blocked her from view. The people disappointedly walked away. "Honestly, why is jumping such a big deal on this world?"

"Thanks, Miss Yorkshire." Maria smiled. "You know, I've only known you for two weeks, and you're already a better mom than Queen Peach."

Cheadle felt her heart erupt with emotions.

Outside on one of the walkways, Wendy and Romeo were gazing at the sunset. "I can't believe that Maria!" They were startled when Cheadle stomped out, forcefully grabbed her own seat, and smashed it between the two mages.

"Is something the matter, Miss Yorkshire?" Wendy asked.

"Maria said something incredibly hurtful! She said I would make a better mom than Peach! I can't believe I was compared to Peach in such a negative manner."

"Forgive me, but, um, I fail to see why you're so angry over this."

"Peach's own daughter favors me over her! But that's simply not possible, everyone adores the queen. She's a wonderful person and everyone should love her, yet for some reason, her own daughter prefers me as a parental figure! How could she say something like that?!" She was blushing and squirming as if she were complimented by a school crush, desperately denying how wonderful she feels.

"But… is that really such a bad thing?" Romeo asked. "Not to start a fight, but you have been taking good care of Maria since her leg was broken. Even though Peach is paying for this cruise, she still could've been here to try and make up for lost time."

"You know, Maria and I are kind of alike." Wendy replied, smiling at the memories. "We were both abandoned by our parents because they had important duties for us. I was taken in by Dr. Facilier and he was really kind. In the end, I started to hate my real dad and I wanted Facilier as my dad. Of course, I think my upbringing and Maria's are pretty different… not to say mine was worse, but…"

"Still, if Maria thinks of you like a mom," Romeo followed, "you shouldn't disappoint her, even if you're worried about stealing her from Peach."

"You may be right, but… this sort of thing could cause an international crisis!"

"Even though Peach's other daughter already tried to attack you?"

"That's beside the point! Sigh… I'm so not ready to be a parent. …Oh dear, the sun's going down." Cheadle pulled out some sunglasses. "Tonight's a full moon."

"You're wearing moonglasses?" Romeo assumed out of confusion.

"When a Mobian stares at the full moon, they're forced into their Primal Mode. Of course, I can control myself just fine in that state, but I prefer not to exhaust myself. Did you know that Mobians originate from a realm called the Netherverse? We developed our intelligence thanks to the Netherverse's abnormal chi, and the moons filter that chi into our universe. That's why staring at it has such a dramatic effect on us."

"Yeah, I remember learning about Moon Chi!" Wendy said. "But if that's actually a problem, then don't visit Lunaria."

Seeing the moon glistening over the heavens, Kiki mounted her broom and took flight. She flew as high as possible, beaming as she was so close to touching the moon! It was growing bigger and bigger, yet it forever evaded her grasp. _"KIIIIII HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!"_ the young witch cackled to the heavens.

Oliver and Phil smiled at her carefree moment. "Why does she like the moon so much, anyway?" Phil asked.

"I don't know, but when she first took off on her own, it was a beautiful night with a full moon. Maybe it just brings back good memories."

"If you ask me, she's a wicked witch on the inside and outside."

 _"PUHUHUHUHUHU!"_

"See, just listen to her. Getting all high on moonlight."

"Huh?" Kiki looked around after hearing the strange laugh. "What was that laugh?"

She gasped when a sapphire comet suddenly whizzed by her face. "Huh?!" (End song.)

Then, the comet POOFED into thin air and BASHED Kiki square in the skull! The boys were horrified when the witch fell off her broom and splashed into the pool. "KIKI!" Since Phil couldn't swim, Ollie dove in and grabbed Kiki, pulling her out and laying her on the poolside.

Phil had called the others, and all the friends rushed up in concern. Part of Kiki's hair had burned, along with the skin underneath. Cheadle's men quickly brought her equipment, and she set to work. "What the hell happened up here?!" Captain Walrus demanded, storming in.

"She was hit by some kind of fireball!" Oliver replied.

"Wook, Captain! I found this!" A seal leapt out of the water with a burnt ball balancing on its nose.

"Oh, that's a baseball!" Phil examined curiously.

"But where did it come from?" Ollie asked.

"Was it dose fwying bears?" a seal pointed.

The passengers looked with fear as monochrome bears descended on parachutes. They landed perfectly on all edges of the deck, baring claws to compel the Mushroomians to stay in place. Five more figures floated down, a group of kids: the Hope Pirates.

Still in his brown mask, Jataro wore a dark-brown carpenter's apron with art tools, a lighter brown shirt with oversized sleeves, and matching shoes. Masaru wore a red- and black-striped T-shirt under a white sleeveless with a red sword design, along with matching socks and sneakers, white headphones, and blue shorts. Kotoko wore a devil horn headband, a black shirt and skirt, and pink- and white-striped stockings.

Nagisa had a white button shirt and shorts with square patterns in brown lines, blue socks, white shoes, and a yellow scarf. Yuta wore a teal-blue track jacket over a white top, khaki shorts, red sneakers, and yellow socks. (Play "It's a Kids World" from _Danganronpa_!)

The pirates landed perfectly in a row, overlooking the pool. "Passengers of the _Saint Rosalina_ ," Masaru announced, "this ship is hereby under the command of the Sky God Pirates! Rejoice as we liberate you from your laborious lives and take you on an everlasting vacation." The captain was also wearing a large black hat with a red feather on it.

"The Sky God Pirates?!" Wendy exclaimed. "Isn't that the same crew Louise was part of?"

"Look, there she is." Masaru spotted the group of operatives. "That dog lady's gotta be the Mobian chancellor. We're here to finish what Louise started and stripping you of your title."

"So, that's what this is about. But why would you attack Kiki?!"

"I'm scared of witches…" Jataro moaned. "I asked Captain Masaru to hit her with a baseball or I wouldn't do the laundry tonight."

"That was the power of the Poof-Poof Fruit!" Masaru held up a baseball alit with blue flames. "When I have a set target in mind, my baseballs will warp and hit it with dead accuracy. And even if they hit on the first throw, they'll warp and hit again!"

"Alright," Captain Walrus climbed up to their level, "I don't know what you kids think you're doing, but you're causing a disturbance, and I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."

"Ufufufufu. Oh, Captain, you don't seem to understand how pirates work." Walrus about-faced to find the handicapped child, Monaca: she wore a black dress and socks with white shoes, and her dress bore a skeletal design on the back.

"That girl is behind this?!" Romeo exclaimed. "Man, I feel so stupid! This is my fault!"

"Relax, Romeo." Wendy comforted. "She could've easily tricked anyone else into helping her, and no one would've suspected her."

"Wait, you're the girl that was traveling alone." Walrus recalled. "I thought there was something strange about you! Seals, capture these kids!"

"Aye-aye, Captain! Our yeaws of twaining in the Mushwoom Mawines have wed up to dis!" The adorable crewmen gathered together with combat poses. Nagisa drew a controller and commanded the Monokumas to attack them. A seal rolled behind a Kuma and did a suplex, then flipped above to smash its head. Chef seals tossed kitchen knives into Kumas' red eyes, destroying them instantly. The seals flipped Kumas into the air and played volleyball with them, which ended with sending them into the ocean. A seal caught a Kuma inside an inner tube, which was filled with gas and was used to explode the robot.

"Your crewmen are quite impressive." Nagisa said. "But it seems their intelligence is lacking."

"Unfortunately, yes." Walrus agreed. "Otherwise, they would be a lot worse for you."

"Oh, I disagree." With a smirk, the vice-captain flipped upside-down with a head-spin. "Alluring Gas!" His teammates closed their noses as Nagisa suddenly sprouted a skunk tail and blew gas everywhere.

"Yuck!" Walrus clamped his nose as all the passengers were groaning in disgust. "Are you a Mobian or something?!"

"On the contrary, my power comes from the Skunk-Skunk Fruit." Nagisa's human features turned into those of a skunk. "Not only does it grant me artificial poisonbending, but it attracts animals with low intelligence and allows me to command them."

"Poor Nagisa was so jealous over not having an element." Kotoko teased. "I'm not of course because I'm a terrific fighter!"

"Sniiiiiff. What is that fwagwant stench?" a seal asked, swooned.

"It's coming fwom that handsome boy. Will you pwease gas us again?"

"Only if you subdue that walrus!" Nagisa ordered.

"Yes, Mastew!" The seals began flipping and piling onto their captain.

"You ungrateful traitors!" Walrus aggressively threw the seals off, but as they kept recovering, he resorted to smashing them beneath his blubber. "UWAH!" It was then a giant finger appeared from the sky and pinned him.

"Look, my puny finger is stronger than a walrus." Jataro taunted, using a bird's-eye photo of the deck to press the bulky captain like a grape.

"Sky Dragon CLAW!" Wendy leapt up and punched Masaru, her Cyclone Fist sending him swirling into the wall! She then kicked Jataro away, but defended when Kotoko threw kicks in rapid succession. Wendy gasped when a wave from the ocean rose directly above her, summoned by Yuta's bending. Romeo jumped in to defend her, freezing the wave with Ice Fire.

"Don't interfere in a fight between ladies!" Romeo declared.

With a sweet smile, Monaca tapped her thumb to her index finger. "Boop!"

At that instant, Romeo's sash EXPLODED. "AAAAAHH!" He and Wendy were blown back. "Ooooww… Romeo, are you okay?!" Wendy turned her friend on his back, working to heal his wound. "What happened?!"

"Ufufufu! Poor Romeo fell for Monaca's trap." The girl giggled. "Monaca ate the Bomb-Bomb Fruit. Whatever Monaca touches, Monaca can pop with the snap of a finger. Now, let's play a game called, 'Guess what goes pop?' Boop! Boop! Boop!" She tapped her thumb some more, and everyone could hear explosions coming from the cabins.

"WAIT A MINUTE!" a Toad mother screamed. "We let that girl into our room the other day! She said she lost her key and needed a place to sleep."

"She told ME that the other night!" a Koopa dad said.

"How could you be so cruel?!" Wendy shouted. "Tricking all these people and destroying their property!"

"Ufufu! Monaca has done much worse things. For example:" Monaca faced down at the operatives by the pool, namely the baseball by Phil and Ollie's feet. "Boop!"

Wondering where she was looking, the boys in question just remembered the baseball and reactively jumped away. "Huh?" The ball twitched with a spark, but didn't explode.

"What?!" Monaca gaped. "Oh, no! Monaca can't pop things that are wet. It's why she can't explode flesh bodies. We're all so squishy and bloody. But Monaca has other means, ufufu!" The crippled girl conjured a Psycho Sphere with a bomb fuse and threw it down, the operatives dodging the explosion.

"I won't allow you disrespectful brats to ruin this vacation!" Cheadle declared, leaping up to the deck and discarding her moonglasses. "I'll have to do this the hard way!" And she whipped up in the direction of the moon, eyes stretched wide so her pupils could absorb every ounce of light. "?!"

Only then did they realize the moon was blocked by a huge landmass. "What in the… A floating island?!"

"Sorry, but this battle is already over." Masaru decided. "Skaios will add this ship to the Free Kingdom any moment."

"Grrrr! I can still use Primal Mode without the moon-!" Cheadle quickly dodged when Monaca threw a Psycho Bomb.

"OOOF!" The green-haired child was rammed by Maria's wheelchair.

"Leave Miss Yorkshire alone!" Maria tossed her hat onto Monaca's head, causing the former princess to fly inside and possess her. Monaca squirmed furiously, her eyes nearly turning inside-out, until a burst of psychic forced Maria back into her chair.

"Aaaaahh! Monaca's! Mind! Was! Violated!" The child flailed her arms. "Princess! Maria! Raped! Monaca's! Brain!"

"No I didn't! And quit calling me a princess!"

"Something's happening to the boat!" Oliver exclaimed.

The _Saint Rosalina_ was slowly enveloped inside a gigantic wind bubble. The passengers cried in fear as the ship tilted up and rose into the heavens. "This battle was already decided long before it started." Masaru declared. "With our captain—I mean, subordinate Skaios, our freedom is the absolute law!"

"Wendy, what should we do?!" Oliver asked.

The wind mage hesitated to answer, unable to find a quick solution to their situation. Romeo and Kiki were injured, Maria's current handicap prevented her from fighting well… Still, if these people worked for the Sky God Pirates, then she knew of someone who could aid them: her father. "If we admit defeat, would you refrain from hurting anybody else?"

"And what if we don't?!" Masaru stated.

"Captain!" Nagisa yelled reprovingly. "We accept your offer, and we happily welcome you to our paradise. Besides, some of our other subordinates have requested us not to harm you or the former princess."

"Louise…" Maria immediately knew.

"And Father, too." Wendy agreed. (End song.)

 **The Free Kingdom**

 _"Welcome, newcomers, to the Free Kingdom! Upon setting foot in this domain, you have all cast aside your worldly concerns and have accepted true freedom! On these floating lands that travel the cosmos, there are no laws, except the illusory laws you set for yourselves. Ye will sail in luxury and freedom for the rest of your lives, and when you die, your spirits will continue to sail with us!"_

The _Halberd II_ flew to Earth, looming over the coastside city of Orchid Bay, Maine. Meta Knight clashed with the city's guardian, Juniper Lee, his false Galaxia Sword on par with her strength. The winged Nightmare took flight and did a drill attack, but June was able to clap the sword in both hands and slam Meta Knight to the ground. She stomped at him, but the knight dodge-rolled and slashed June's leg, the Chinese girl leaping back and withstanding the pain. She launched at Meta Knight with a roundabout kick, blocked by his blade, but she countered by bashing her balled fists onto his head.

"You are a strong warrior." Meta Knight complimented. "I look forward to having you in our kingdom."

Before June could question him, two godlike fingers descended from the heavens and burrowed under the earth. Not only did they rip Orchid Bay from the surface, but the Veil's generators were destroyed. The humans fell into panic when demons seemed to appear out of thin air, and the demons, too, were panicking that their peaceful secret lives had been exposed. Alas, no one could evacuate when the city was taken into the heavens.

 _"Unfortunately, this universe is filled with corrupt, evil adults who have tied their bonds too tightly to their offspring. The only way to break these tethers is an exciting execution!"_

The Avalaran city of Goldpaw was both renowned and infamous for its heavy reliance on fortune. The city had a beautiful Chinese aesthetic and was populated by Dogfolk, Mobian dogs that had settled on the planet. The Grand High Roller, Pugnacius, faced Kokichi Oma, captain of the Dice Pirates (and 10th captain of the Sky God Pirates), before the statue of Lady Luck. "This will be our final roll." Pugnacius announced. "If the number is even, you return Evermore and its citizens to us, and all the towns your army has stolen will be under our jurisdiction."

"And if the number is odd, Goldpaw belongs to me." Kokichi said with a vile smirk. "The die is cast." Kokichi pressed the switch, and Lady Luck dropped a giant die onto the platform. The citizens gasped in awe when the die was stopped on its corner, about to land with the '4' faced up. Then, one of Kokichi's crewmen, a short girl, launched a coin from a slingshot, hitting the die as it shifted to the '1' side.

"What?! YOU CHEATED! That die was CLEARLY about to land on '4'!"

"HAH! That's real big talk, coming from you! I KNOW you use a remote control for the dice!"

"That's all in the past! I'm a changed man, and I wish to repay my debt to King Evan!"

"Relax, Puggy! In the Free Kingdom, there IS no debt!" A dark aura radiated from Kokichi. To everyone's amazement, Pugnacius' scepter flew into Kokichi's hand, and the words 'Grand High Roller' flew out of the pug and into the pirate. "Your title and your authority officially belong to me! That includes your army."

 _Dice Pirates Captain, 10th Sky God Captain_

 _"Ultimate Liar" KOKICHI OMA_

 _Kokichi Oma, already a nasty prankster with his darknessbending, ate the Dice-Dice Fruit. When someone agrees to gamble with him over a specific possession, and if he wins, Kokichi will become the owner of said possession, and no one else may interact with it unless Kokichi allows it. Of course, this ability will work in favor of the opposing side should Kokichi lose. The fruit's effect will also be lost if the person discards the possession. Kokichi can also use this to give his team power-ups, or vice-versa._

Also on Avalar, Artemyra was a matriarchal kingdom built within a canyon. The Artemyrans (human women with wings on their legs) were in battle with a horde of gray-skinned troll-zombies with orange horns. The zombies were immune to any of their attacks, the warriors suffering cuts from the trolls' weapons. When they were too weak to fight, the warriors were trapped in a blue web of psychic energy.

The psychic webs originated from a female troll with milky white eyes, wearing a black captain's uniform. "Yo, Serket!" The troll faced down at a fierce knight, bravely and mercilessly striking the Artemyrans down. "I'm kinda digging this town! You think their giant birds are good eating?!"

"I don't know, Undyne, 8ut they might 8e fun to race with! As soon as we conquer this town, I'm making that a rule!"

…

"So long as ye accept this life of eternal joy," Skaios announced, speaking on PA from his throne as he wolfed down giant cooked turkeys, melons, cakes, and cinnamon rolls, "ye can party with us all day, every day, 24/7, 'til the end of time! So, _Saint Rosalina_ , ENJOY THE SLAUGHTER KART!"

The air rumbled with the whir of engines. Dozens of karts lined up at the track, eager to seize 1st place at the start. Many of these racers, adults in particular, were extremely worried, almost as if their lives were on the line. There were also Inklings, humanoid children with squid hair of different colors, baring smirks as they were itching for some bloodshed. Six of the karts were occupied by Monokumas with colored left halves, and they were remotely controlled by the Hope Pirates. And the kart in the very back, small enough for an infant, was manned by Captain Skaios, fully reenergized after his buffet.

 _3…2…1… GO!_

Skaios BURST through the very center of the rows and seized 1st place with godlike airbending! All the other racers took off hastily as Masaru began to sing.

 _"Soar through the sky right by a thunderstorm!"_ The racers sped under artificial clouds, some of the adults struck by lightning as their cars exploded. _"Cause permanent hearing loss with a giant horn!"_ An Inkling used a horn to blow an adult off the track and into the abyss. _"Let's play chicken with tons of grenades."_ The Monokumas launched grenades and wiped out more adults. _"Or spin right through the rain (GOOD IDEA)."_ Skaios spun rapidly over a wet road, his airbending whipping water to cut down racers.

 _"Let out some oil and light your friends ablaze!"_ The Blue Kuma dumped oil and lit it aflame, burning his fellow bears. _"Let air out of tires and cause them great delays!"_ Some adults were falling behind due to flat tires. _"Piranha Plants and Chain Chomps are new."_ Adults were ambushed and eaten by the vicious creatures. _"And we have a dangerous zoo."_ The second they drove through the zoo, adults were ripped to death by bloodthirsty animals.

 _"Flying through space like a cosmic ray!"_ Skaios flew first through the Air Tunnel, leading off that island and toward the next one. The camera zoomed out for a widescreen view of dozens of islands in the atmosphere of Mushroom. _"No seatbelts or helmets to GET IN YOUR WAAAAAY!"_ Flying through the tunnel, a woman screamed as a meteor shot through, fatally striking her car as she fell to the planet's surface.

Exiting the tunnel, Skaios began to swirl in the air as the six kids sang in unison. _"These are all things that we let FUCKING GROWN-UPS DO."_

 _"These are all things…"_ Kotoko and Monaca sang.

"These are all things that we let-" Masaru sang alone.

 _"Fucking grown-ups!"_

An adult launched out of the tunnel, his kart flipping aimlessly. "NO NO NO!" His body SMASHED onto a stalagmite!

 _"DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, GROWN-UP DEATH!"_ The kids chorused as more adults had sequentially crashed or smashed.

"WOOHOOOO!" Skaios cheered, the other racers leagues behind him. Today was another good day for racing and he was bound to win. But just as he launched off a ramp… it happened.

A kart-shaped shadow was cast over him. His eye widened, surprised that a racer could fly higher than him. And the one responsible appeared to be… a 9-year-old girl with candy in her ponytailed hair?

Time seemed to slow as Vanellope's candy kart flew over Skaios, upside-down as the child greeted the captain with a smirk and salute. Her kart was right-side-up as it reunited with the track. Skaios' eye locked on the new arrival and was filled with a new determination to outrace her.

* * *

 **Masaru's ability is actually inspired from the baseball items in _Smash Ultimate_. Kokichi is from _Danganronpa V3_.** **That _Mario Kart 8_ song was written by brentalfloss.** **And that ship comes from _A Hat in Time_ 's Arctic Cruise level, perhaps one of the most pleasant worlds in any videogame! Next time, we'll explore the Free Kingdom proper.**

 **…**

…

"Egg."


	3. Fun and Games, Thrills and Kills

**Let's begin our first chapter of 2019, ladies and gentlemen! Oh, and for future reference, Skaios is voiced by Charlyne Yi, so he sounds like Ruby from _SU_.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3: Fun and Games, Thrills and Kills_**

 **Free Kingdom; a few hours ago**

The _Sunny Day_ calmly passed through the oxygen bubble of one of the floating islands. There were spotlights directing them to a landing pad, where pirates awaited them. It was only natural they wouldn't just let anyone in without a brief checkup. The operatives docked at the landing pad as the pirates, who were dressed in White Lotus uniforms, led them inside. "General Dio, these are all the passengers on the pirate ship. They're Sector V of the Kids Next D-"

"'ang on now, when we're on that baby, we're called the Raccoon Pirates." Sheila corrected. "And Ah'm the captain, Sheila the Sunny Fist!"

"The Raccoon Pirates?" a voice spoke from the darkness. Upon searching for the source, the kids saw a single eye gazing from the ceiling. "Yes, I know of them. They're the ones who destroyed the former Big Mom." The figure opened a black and red cape and glided to the floor. He was a blonde man with a bandaged right eye, yellow overalls, and vampire fangs.

 _White Lotus General, 18th Sky God Captain_

 _"Rogue Subject" DIO VER-_

Sheila PUNCHED the vampire in the jaw with a Light Sphere. "AAAH, IT'S DIO! He's the bloke that worked for the Thirteen Darknesses!"

"NO NO NO!" Dio shouted, waving hands frantically. "My name is Dio Verando! Ugh, I get sick of being compared to that character. And I'll never forgive Vaati for giving me a vampire Devil Fruit! He did it on purpose because he knew it would tick me off!"

"Okay, okay, Sheila's sorry, Dio." Aurora said. "But you're with the White Lotus?"

"I actually remember you!" Vanellope beamed. "I think Dad helped you on one of his missions. You remember Mr. York?"

"Yes, I do remember. And yes, I am a White Lotus officer. Sometime after our battle with the Inferius army, Vaati went missing, and we learned about this band of pirates that were stealing entire islands. Their captain seemed extremely similar to Vaati, so we joined them in the hopes of finding him. If you're here, then I assume you're on a mission?"

"We were hoping to speak to Skaios. He is the captain of this crew, right?" Aurora asked.

"Well, right now a boy named Masaru is captain. But the crew is basically dependent on Skaios." Dio led the operatives outside, viewing a plain of monstrous mutant animals. When the sun touched Dio, he reverted to a human form. "Although the 'rules' of this kingdom are based on our own personal morals, there is a primary requirement that all residents here need: a rebellious spirit."

"Seems rather ambiguous." Chris said.

"Skaios is able to smell a rebellious heart inside anyone and he tends to find kinship with them. Even if you're just visiting, new arrivals have to embrace the freedom of this kingdom by taking part in our games. For instance, in a few hours, we'll be holding a race, starting on this island."

"For real?!" Vanellope exclaimed. "You're gonna have a race?! Hot dog, sign me up! I'm gonna blow everyone away, just you watch me!"

"Are you sure? Skaios himself will be taking part, and believe me, he gets pretty violent."

"Violent, shmiolent." Sheila remarked. "Vanel, you show 'em how it's done. And remember, this is your first mission as a Raccoon Pirate."

"Aye-aye, Captain Sheila!"

"Very well." Dio said. "I'll take you to our garage, so you can-"

"Not necessary, I already have a car."

 **Present time; after the race began** (Play "Mario Kart Stadium" from _MK8_!)

Upon exiting the wind tunnel, the race resumed through Goldpaw! Statues threw giant die onto the road, but with key timing, Vanellope glitched around the die. Skaios, meanwhile, grabbed the die in his airbending and threw them at two ? Blocks above roofs. His first Power-up was a Piranha Plant, which attached to the front of his car as he sped up toward Vanel. The candy girl glitchwarped to dodge the plant's bites, seizing a ? Block of her own. She earned an Item Swipe and smirked, glitching behind Skaios. "HAH HAR! Ye coward!" the captain taunted. Vanel waited for his Piranha to vanish, eying up at the roofs. She fired the Item Swipe just an instant before it vanished, and stole Skaios' remaining item, the Spring Pad.

With this, Vanellope sprung herself up to the roofs, finding a secret route along the back of a dragon statue. She raced along the winding path with confidence, but that was before a Green Shell hit her. Masaru and Yuta's Monokubs bypassed the Program girl, and was then hit by Kotoko's Tanuki tail. An angry Vanellope glitched to chase them, dodging fire spires as the road became wider. She hit a ? Block and earned a Blooper, sending it to ink the other racers. The dragon road went up a loop that curved sideways, but because of the ink, Yuta and Masaru continuously slipped and bumped before taking the fall. With a smirk, Vanellope went up the loop and took off on a ramp.

She glided across a large chunk of the track, but was on a collision course to Goldpaw's central river. The track continued underwater, but Vanel glitched herself onto the surface path to stay safe. Nagisa used a Bullet Bill to close in on Vanel, the girl glitching behind him with a gasp. "What?!" Nagisa briefly glanced back, shocked that she dodged his direct hit, but he bumped into the corner turn. Vanellope made it over the river and passed him, and she saw Skaios eating ramen at an outdoor restaurant. Vanellope rolled her eyes and zoomed past him, the captain giving nary a hoot.

Vanel hit another ? Block as she flew through the next Sky Tunnel. The roulette landed on Quagmire. "Huh?" When she triggered the item, another kart with Glenn Quagmire poofed beside her. "Giggity-giggity-giggity-giggity-giggity-giggity…" He repeated, shaking in his seat. Vanellope dodged meteors and Quagmire seemed to stay beside her with little trouble. They were exiting the tunnel into Inkopolis, catching up with Kotoko's Monokub. When they neared the female, Quagmire suddenly drove up to her and, "Gooooooo!" swiped her off the kart before driving Who-Knows-Where.

Weird item, Vanellope thought, but it earned her the lead position—she heard a weird _"Wah wah WAH WAH"_ sound before a Blue Shell CRASHED into her! Skaios immediately bumped her aside at breakneck speed, and Vanel hastily got back in the game. Behind her, the Hope Pirates were catching up, each armed with items: Masaru chucked a Bob-omb that Vanel dodged, but with his power, the bomb warped right above her and exploded, causing the crew to pass her. Monaca's Monokub had Peter Griffin selected as an item. When she triggered it, a cockpit appeared on her kart, and Peter laughed "Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!" as he rapidly fired a Gatling at all the racers behind her.

Vanellope expertly dodged the bullets with glitchwarps and secured an item: a lightning bolt. Without waiting, she zapped and shrunk the Monokubs, but Jataro had used a Power Star to make himself invincible and abandon his team. Vanellope passed the others, driving over a road covered in colored ink. The tiny Monokubs were shot by sprinklers shooting paintballs. Vanellope saw a secret tunnel that sloped down under one of the buildings, camouflaged with the ink. She drove up and around the slippery tunnel, growing dizzy as it made some turns. She was in 1st place upon exiting, giving her confidence—

Vanellope gasped when she realized an ink cyclone was chasing her, and Skaios was underneath it. Skaios tried to swing the cyclone into her, destroying a few buildings in the process. Vanellope glitchwarped with keen timing, and she snagged a ? Block with a banana. She quickly threw the peel back, causing Skaios to swerve rampantly and crash, demolishing three buildings with bending. Vanellope drove to a road of ink fountains, using some to propel herself to an upper road with a glide ramp. She glided over an area where large tentacles stretched out of pipes, watching as one of them snatched Nagisa's Monokub.

Skaios furiously zoomed across the road, washing his crewmates with waves of paint. He and Vanellope flew through a Sky Tunnel as the captain swirled it. Vanellope screamed, her body glitching as her pixels became distorted in the wind. The Hope Pirates parked their karts for a moment, not wanting to suffer in the torrent. The tunnel spat them out over Strong Island, with Vanel going far off course. She almost hit the earth on her head, but glitched right-side-up and got back on track.

Skaios drove up a green scaly road, which revealed to be a Land Gator, roaring as it tried to eat Vanel, who glitched up and drove on its back. After landing, she chased Skaios through a field of Don Mantises, giant mantises that targeted racers and sliced with scythe hands. Vanellope evaded their scythes and grabbed a ? Block, earning a Super Horn. Skaios used his wind to blow away a swarm of Army Ants, and she used the horn to scatter the ants as well.

"Ugh, this race is terrible." Chris said.

"But Vanellope is doing great!" Artie replied.

"Yeah, but look at all the last-place racers."

An Inkling had gotten ahead of three adults and used a Peter Gatling to shoot them dead. Two adults were forcing their karts into each other, and one behind them used a Piranha Plant to eat their heads off, enabling him to get ahead. Five adults were avoiding meteors in a Sky Tunnel, but a woman behind was secretly targeting them, waiting for them to get perfectly aligned. Then, she fired a Blue Shell and sent them flying out of the tunnel.

Skaios was nearing the finish line, and Vanellope desperately glitchwarped at every possible interval, and was lucky enough to snag a Triple Mushroom. She heard the "wah wah WAH" and barely dodged the Blue Shell, then she spammed her Mushrooms to catch up. The shell rammed Skaios' kart, the captain bouncing haphazardly toward the Finish. In just a single second, Vanellope mixed speed with glitches and got above Skaios, just after he crossed the Finish, and just as Skaios flipped right-side-up, Vanellope SQUISHED his head under her kart. (End song.)

Sector V flinched, averting their eyes. It was at this point, they knew they screwed up. Skaios' kart slowed to a halt, his head flat as a pancake. "Oh, man…" Vanellope fearfully approached him. "Uh… are you dead? If not, I'm really sorry… for squishing your head."

"CAPTAIN SKAIOS!" The six Hope Pirates raced over. "Murderer! You killed our 1st captain!" Masaru yelled.

"Oh, Captain Skaios, if only it had been me." Jataro moaned. "If only my hideous, disgusting head were squished. I bet it would smell like a hundred stink bugs. Well, I better start praying for him." He folded his sleeved hands and spoke, "O Captain Skaios, we wish you safe passage into the afterli-"

"YAHOOOOO! Smash me brain cells and call me Flapjack!" Skaios re-inflated and exuberantly skipped to Vanellope's side. "I never had me neck-n-neck with another racer worth their grit!"

"You've been racing with amateurs!" Vanel retorted, throwing her regret aside. "I was born on a racetrack! And since then, I never knew anything BUT racing! I mean, I did learn how to hack computers and junk, but HOLY COW, I feel like I have actual BLOOD!"

"AYE, ME TOO, MATEY! Eh…" It was only then Skaios noticed something odd about this new racer: "Who are ye?"

"Oh, my name's Vanellope. From Sector V-"

"SHE MEANS THE RACCOON PIRATES!" Sheila outbursted as the rest of her team arrived.

"No she didn't!" Masaru shouted. "I heard Sector V! You're Kids Next Door operatives!"

"Not just any operatives." Nagisa said with a glare. "You're Earth's most famous sector. Captain, they're obviously here to spy on us."

"No doubt about it. Ay say we take 'em to the brig."

"Hold on, the brig is only reserved for government lackeys!" Skaios stated. "The KND are as free as we pirates. Well, a bit less rebellious, but they're as welcome here as anyone else."

"That's good to hear, Captain, because we were hoping we could form a pact." Aurora said.

"'ey, I'm not the captain, he is!"

"Actually, Masaru's time is up." Nagisa said, taking the hat. "I'm the Sky God Captain now."

"All hail 36th Captain Shingetsu," Jataro saluted, "who was also formerly the 22nd captain."

"Ufufufu! We have high expectations of you, Captain!" Monaca teased.

"Um, y-yes." Nagisa flushed. "Anyway, what kind of pact were you thinking?"

"The thing is," Haruka answered, "a lot of our sectors have been getting captured by other Yonko, and our Supreme Leader has been away on extended training. Since you're against the other Yonko too, we were thinking you would be our best chance at saving them."

"True, I can't stand those fake pirates." Skaios replied. "True pirates are supposed to be free, but all they care about is ruling as many worlds as possible, and robbing people of their freedom. Ay wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson! But Skaios accepts no favors from non-pirates."

"Oi, we are real pirates!" Sheila shouted.

"Ay believe you, Lassie, but only when I sees it will I believes it. Skaios only grants favors to those who embrace Sky God Pirate lifestyle! If ye can prove yer grit in our games, THEN I can consider ya true maties!"

"Very well, so be it." Aurora complied. "What kind of games did you have in mind?"

"We have Turf Wars in Inkopolis, Death Gauntlets in Towa City, and we have old fashioned brawls in Orchid City. Oh, and we can't forget Eating Contests; those're up in me flagship. Speakin' o' which, I'm feelin' a wee bit starved. Talk to ya later, laddies! Explore the kingdom to yer heart's content!" Skaios took off toward the _Santa Hylia_ , a gigantic mechanical galleon.

Nagisa sighed in disbelief. "You're lucky that our founder is so open-minded. However, I'll be keeping my eye on you."

"Great, so you mind answering a question?" Chris asked. "Who the hell's going to clean that up?!" He whipped his finger at the racetrack, indicating the crashed cars and corpses. "Do you just casually sacrifice your crewmen on a daily basis?"

"Those aren't our crewmen. They're our prisoners."

"Prisoners?!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Whether they're from one of our islands, or a town that we raided, every place in the universe has awful people. You KND should know it better than anybody: evil adults that abuse children, torture them, leave them out in the woods, sell them for money, or… other things." Nagisa hesitated, and the sectormates could see the distraught looks on the other kids' faces (except Monaca). "Our spies investigate common households and businesses in search of that corruption. Then, we liberate the children oppressed and give them bliss in our Free Kingdom. The evil adults, as you see, are forced to compete in our games. Their survival depends on their victory."

"But prisoners who perform really well climb the class ladder." Monaca explained. "Improved living, improved cooking, and some have the honor of becoming our servants."

"But that completely defeats the purpose of a Free Kingdom!" Aurora stated.

"Ufufu. Don't you know the expression, 'If everyone's special, then no one is special'? The same applies to freedom. That's why we need prisoners to remind citizens how precious their freedom is. Besides, those same adults tried to rob freedom of others, so the only way to help them value freedom is by taking THEIR freedom! It's reverse psychology!"

"It's utter hypocrisy." Mason remarked.

"NO!" An infuriated Monaca began shaking her fists. "It! Is! A perfect! System! Where politics! And anarchy! Coexist! In perfect! Harmony!"

"No, please don't be upset, Monaca!" Kotoko pled. "Your system is flawless! Why, it's downright ingenious! Only someone as smart as you could come up with it."

"Y-Yeah, I guess you're right." Mason replied in shame. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"Yeah, Mason can be pretty… WAIT, why are we apologizing?!" Haruka shouted.

"Monaca will forgive you, Mason." The handicapped child rolled up and hugged him. "Monaca hopes we can be good friends."

"Yeah… me too." Mason gently patted her back. The others could only watch in confusion.

They released as Monaca said, "Hoo. Racing games sure make Monaca sleepy. Jataro, would you be so kind as to roll Monaca to her private quarters?"

"Of course, Monaca. You're so kind for acting like I have value in this world." On that note, the masked boy rolled his friend away.

"Hey, Captain Nagisa, mind if I give these guys a quick tour?" Yuta offered. "It's gonna be awhile until the next games start."

"If you say so, Yuta. I'll go collect status reports. You two can come help." He, Masaru, and Kotoko left.

"So yeah, my name's Yuta!" the boy grinned. "Mind if I ask your names?"

The 11 teammates took turns introducing their selves. "Ma-son…" Yuta seemed to "write" the names on his palm with his finger. "Ha-ru… Is it spelled with a 'c' or a 'k'?"

"Um, 'k'? What are you doing?" Haruka asked.

"It's easy for me to remember someone's name by pretending to write it a few times. I actually feel a little embarrassed." Yuta blushed. "Not only are you guys KND celebrities, but… you two are the children of Nigel Uno!" With a beaming face, Yuta shook both Chris and Aurora's hands. "Which means you're also related to Eva, the Sea Princess!"

"You're a fan of Aunt Eva?" Chris asked.

"Absolutely! My dad is from Adabat, a tribe that worships the Sea God. He told us about the time Princess Eva visited his home island. My sister and I are super devout followers of Kyogre, and our dream was always to meet his descendants."

"Ah, I see. You just want us to introduce you to Melody?" Chris smirked.

"That's Eva's daughter, right? Hehe, that… would be nice."

"Maybe if your captain agrees to help save our friends, we'll return the favor."

"That would be amazing, thank you! So, shall we begin the tour?"

"Yeh, you blokes 'ave fun with that." Sheila replied. "C'mon, First Mate, let's go exploring!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Mason was dragged off, moving his feet as fast as possible to keep up with her.

"Hahaha! It's not a Free Kingdom without freedom!" Yuta laughed.

 ** _Saint Rosalina_**

"Attention, passengews." a seal announced through the intercom. "Due to ouw ship having been commandeewed by space piwates, our cwuise has taken an unexpected detouw. Until we can make a safe weturn home, we have no choice but to assimiwate with said piwates. So, evewybody gwab a gun and a sword and begin adapting to the scurvy lifestyle." The seal picked up a machinegun and cocked it.

Sector MG and Cheadle had been locked in one of the brig's cells, with the exception of Romeo and Kiki. Wendy was curled up in the corner and sobbing, for her natural reaction to such defeat was only despair. "Why do so many bad things happen to me?! Why do I always get my friends into trouble?"

"Geez, lighten up, Cry Mage." Phil remarked. "How is it your fault those crazy kids ruined our cruise?"

"Still, this is an awful place for a princess." Cheadle said. "Why couldn't they take Maria to the medical wing as well?!"

"I'm not a princess!"

"Hush, Maria!"

"Yes, Mommy."

"I'M NOT YOUR MOMMY!" the chancellor flushed.

"Yes, it does seem a tad too cramped in there." a man's voice said.

Wendy gasped, her tears quickly drying at hearing the familiar voice. The cell opened, and in stepped a silver-haired Minish in a dark cape. "D-Dad!"

"Why do we always reunite under such bizarre circumstances, Wendy? My, but I see you've made some new friends. I bet you kids have no idea my precious daughter used to look like this!" He showed them a baby picture of Wendy, the latter reddening. "Look at how small she is! And now she's so big and strong! And what a figure, all the boys will be on her in a year!"

"DAAAAAD, you're embarrassing me!"

Cheadle grabbed Vaati's neck in a Haki hand. "If I recall, you're the man that sent Maria's sister to attack me. How dare you corrupt that poor girl!"

"Ack! At least I was a better father figure than Bowser!" he choked.

"Mr. Vaati, where is Louise, anyway?" Maria asked.

Cheadle decided to release him as he answered, "She actually left on a mission somewhere on the planet; we're still over Mushroom World. Anyway, I didn't mean any harm on you, but as my mission is to rid the worlds of governments, you were not exempt. But seeing as you were a kinder ruler, I planned to show mercy."

"You oughta find something nicer to do." Oliver replied.

"That being said, it seems trying to strip you of your title is no longer necessary. Have you seen Intergalactic News?" Vaati handed her a newspaper.

The Mobian dog's fur seemed to turn pale at the headline: "Th-This…This can't be right! 'Planet Mobius under siege by the Kremling Krew'?! 'King Kroctus soon to be Mobius' new ruler'?! There's no way such a massive attack could happen in the four days I was gone!"

"Evidently, it has. But rest assured, Kroctus is high on our list of targets."

"You will take me back to Mobius RIGHT NOW!"

"In the condition it's in now, you would be destroyed. Besides, the law up here is, once you've been brought to the Free Kingdom, you must embrace our freedom before we do any favors for you. That's why I'm releasing you all; I'll take you to see your injured friends, too."

"Well, I for one have had enough freedom for one lifetime." Wendy said firmly. "And you have no right to take all these passengers away from their homes. Let them go now!"

"Then I must ask a favor of you, Wendy."

"Grrrrr, what?!"

Vaati bent down and whispered directly in her ear, _"Help me do something about Skaios!"_

"W…What?" Wendy didn't expect such a demand.

"When I came back and realized the White Lotus teamed up with another freedom-obsessed anarchist, I was beyond thrilled. I thought I finally found my soul mate! But Skaios… he…he's freaking nuts! ! With everyone throwing the captain's hat around, there's absolutely no organization. Most of these people have no common sense; letting the mutant animals loose in the towns, setting fires, and all the children are having too much fun killing prisoners. It's… quite disturbing, actually. Honestly, it's making me rethink my entire identity. And Skaios himself can't help but destroy any town he swoops by, and on occasion he'll accidentally kill a crewmate out of excitement."

"Well, then… he certainly seems like a threat, but Skaios is really powerful, right?"

"Yes, he is. Every time we try to read his Power Level, our Scouter breaks. But what I do know is he isn't immortal. …Oh, and you might like to know, Wendy: recently, we added the town of Orchid Bay to our kingdom."

"Orchid Bay? Isn't that…" Wendy's expression lit up in realization, "YOU MEAN JUNE IS HERE?!"

"I thought you'd might like to see her. Believe me, June is really enjoying her newfound freedom."

 **Skaios' Dining Room**

A pond-sized pizza was prepared for the little captain, but the cheese and anchovies flowed into his mouth like a river. "So, I take it the pizza is to your liking?" asked an Italian chef with a mustache, a tad repulsed by his demeanor.

"Onn-hon! Ish guud!" Skaios mumbled.

A pair of eyes appeared on Skaios' shadow, one orange and one white. They, too, were disgusted by his gluttony. The shadow seemed to grow into a solid form with colors: it was Midna, the Twilight Princess. "Captain Skaios."

"WARRGH!" With a start, Skaios blew a gust at the chef, beheading him. They watched as he fell dead. "Arrr… darn it. Don't scare me like that, ya… oh?" Skaios was intrigued by her goth appearance. "Ye certainly are an eye-catcher." Her eyes were especially pretty.

"And that pirate accent is totally fake. Now that I've gotten a good look at you… I know for sure. You really are a god."

"Aye, but I'm a god who don't think himself above mortals. Skaios happily welcomes you as a friend!"

"We're not just friends, Skaios: we're kin."

"K…Kin?"

"I'm a Firstborn. And so are you. Skaios, the Firstborn of Sky… without a doubt, you're one of the Newborn."

"Newborn? I haven't been called that since…" Skaios didn't want to bring up the painful memory. "Wait, does that mean you know about me?"

"All I know is you were born during the New Big Bang. I don't really know your personal history, but there are others like you."

"And what of it?"

"From what I gathered, each of you Newborn are plagued with a strange darkness. You've proven yourselves menaces to mankind."

"I KNOW what you're after!" Skaios spawned a tornado and hovered above Midna imposingly. "You were sent by the gods to come and lock me away! Well, tell your masters to piss off! I'll NEVER be your prisoner!"

"Calm down! I'm not here to lock you away, I just wanted to talk. I think I should try to understand you."

"Hurrr…" Skaios calmly sank to the floor. Down there, he realized Midna was three times his size. "Out with it then."

"Why, exactly, did the gods want to lock you away?"

"It's just as you said, I was dangerous. I had what ya call 'individuality,' something that's frowned upon in the Spirit World."

"Did that individuality involve harming mortals?"

"No!" But it was then they acknowledged the dead chef a few feet away. "Er, n-not intentionally, anyway. But hey, mortals kill one-another all the time, but even when they're killed, they just become spirits—GET YER ARSE AWAY FROM HIM!" He saw a Reaper approaching the dead body and struck him with a wind that blew him off the atmosphere. "That's why mortals should have no fear of death."

"The Number One rule of a god is to have restraint!" Midna argued. "We are required to watch over mortals and watch them grow and struggle, but flaunting our powers as we please will drastically hinder that growth. The fact is, mortals don't stand a chance to our full power."

"Well, Skaios is different! He's equal to mortals and sees them as friends and enemies. If they don't stand a chance, then explain me eye!"

"You mean that fake eyepatch?"

"It's not a fake! Skaios just wanted to spare them the gross imagery! See?" He lifted the patch, exposing the dead black socket.

Midna nearly hurled. "But that…that can't be right." Midna slowly reached and placed a gentle hand over the socket. "I feel… nothing. Your body is brimming with God Chi, but this spot… is completely dead."

"Ye have only the scurvy swordsman to blame, right before I keelhauled him. I have since used this mark to remind me that I am equal to mortals."

"You don't understand! If a god so much as loses an arm, it will grow back. A god can only die if they have children, and even then, they can still self-heal if they aren't completely destroyed, but this eye… it's completely dead. What kind of weapon did this?"

"It was a sword of some kind, I don't know." He put the patch down. "I'm going to get more pizza; either enjoy the festivities or leave, it's a free country." The captain flew away before Midna could get out another word.

"Ugh." Midna placed a hand over her sun eye. "Still, it's not like I'm much different. Our 2nd Age forms are extremely vulnerable. But Skaios seemed to still be in his 1st Age. How strange…"

 ** _Light of Hope_** **; Monaca's Quarters**

"Here we are, Monaca." Jataro moaned as he rolled his friend into the green-décor bedroom. "Your nice, cozy room. I suppose you don't need my help any further. If I were me, I would discard me at my earliest opportunity."

"That's very considerate of you, Jataro. Monaca is very conservative with her brain power. That's why she needed you to push her. But Monaca doesn't wish to expend more brain cells talking to a giant dung beetle."

"Okay, Monaca. I'll go away now. A girl as bright as you doesn't need someone like me poisoning their-" Monaca shoved him out the door with psychic and shut it. "Sigh…" Jataro sighed.

"Aww, cheer up, Gas Mask!" Someone plopped a hand on his shoulder. "Your life totally has meaning! Why, you're just burning with potential!"

Jataro faced Kokichi's beaming grin with hopeful eyes. "That's kind of you to say, Kokichi. Your words make me feel like I have… Wait a minute." The hope faded away. "I know what you're doing. You're going to crush my good mood by-"

"It's a lie~!"

"That's exactly what I expected. But your lies make me feel even worse about myself. That's why I like them."

"Just go mop the floor, your presence is unbearable." Kokichi marched into Monaca's room and shut him away.

"Man, now you're telling the truth. My admiration for you, Kokichi, was quickly snuffed out."

"So, I see we got some new arrivals." Kokichi said to Monaca, tossing die up in his hand. "KND operatives, I presume?"

"Now it seems there are two KND sectors in the kingdom." Monaca replied in her cute, doll-like tone. "This could be just awful for our crew."

"Then we better put a stop to them." Kokichi said in a serious tone. "They're going to ruin our perfect utopia. We need to prove to them that all our people are happy, and being taken from this kingdom would be an absolute nightmare!"

. . . . . This was followed by laughter that mixed, "Ufufufufufu/Neeheeheeheeheehee!"

"But as long as they're here, why don't we play with them?" Kokichi held the die between his fingers. "Perhaps they'll like us so much that they won't want to leave. Having the best KND sector on our side would certainly give us the edge in this war. And wouldn't it break all their hearts to see their best sector devolve to renegade thugs?"

"Ufufufu!" Monaca poked her blushed cheeks and said, "That would be super-duper despair inducing!"

"Yes, it would." Kokichi's skin turned black, and his hair a ghostly white. "That's what makes this so fun."


	4. The Will of Rebellion

**Monokuma Theater: Why are so many great series dependent on viewership? People are always bound to stop caring. Why can't a story's lifespan just depend on the author? After all, caring for a universe is like caring for a child! And if parents aren't reliable, then we can't rely on anybody. And a good parent wouldn't just let his precious child die. Right, Seth MacFarlane?**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 4: The Will of Rebellion_**

 **Orchid Island**

The town that was formerly connected to Orchid Bay was slowly lowered into Mushroom's ocean. Waves once again brushed the coast and fishermen could return to work. Vaati guided Sector MG down to the island: it was exactly as Wendy remembered, demons and humans roaming the streets. However, it seemed the two races were actually interacting: the humans bore fearful expressions and seemed to force their selves to talk to the demons, while others purposely tried to navigate around them. The same applied in vice-versa.

"My goals also entailed severing the boundaries between races," Vaati explained, "which included dismantling Orchid Bay's Veil. With this town uplifted into the Free Kingdom, humans and demons were forced to become friends, no matter how much one feared the other. Skaios was also able to keep the fairies from intervening. Orchid Bay was taken back in December; as you can surmise, a month isn't long enough to fully erase their metaphorical barriers."

"Why couldn't these demons just live in the Underworld, or an unpopulated area?" Cheadle asked.

"They've long since been adapted to Orchid Bay's magical chi. Both races have homes and lives here, and they were too used to being divided. Still, I can see that taking their city wasn't the best way to force them to change. It's merely filled them with more anxiety."

"Look, Mrs. Yorkshire!" Maria pointed at the sky in joy, seeing a red comet streaking across. "It's a shooting star! Let's make a wish!"

"I wish we could save Mobius as soon as possible." Cheadle sighed.

The comet seemed to swerve in a zigzaggy fashion. "Hold on, it's coming this way!" Oliver yelled.

"OH GOD, WATCH OUT!" cried a townsman; screaming erupted as a flaming, flying pirate ship threatened to crash onto a street, but Vaati used his bending to slow the ship down. He waited until the street was clear of people before allowing the ship to land, scraping against the road and sides of buildings before it finally came to a halt.

The burning ship, _Overtale_ , was painted blue and was covered in spider-webs. The sail had the zodiac Scorpio sign, while the flag bore a skull with eight pupils in the left eye. Suddenly, a skull burst out of the ship with the force of a cannon, landing in Maria's lap. "Hey Girl, you up for a cliché Shakespeare reference?" the skull asked.

"AAAAH!" Maria threw him away.

"DAMMIT, PAPYRUS! Your piss cooking set the ship on fire!"

"ME?! Only a monster could possibly cook like you!" the skull shouted back.

"Grrrrr!" A sword sliced open a greater hole in the ship: a fearsome knight with a red ponytail loomed imposingly in the burning hull. "When will I ever find a cook worthy of my power?!"

 _Serket Pir8s General_

 _UNDYNE THE UNDYING_

"Excuse me, Sir, but your fire has spread to the buildings!" Wendy shouted.

"SILENCE, whelp! I will burn everything with my passion until I'm… crap, it's hot." The knight fell and plopped on the pavement, her helmet falling off: she was a Fishwoman with a patch over her left eye. "Huff… someone get me water."

While Vaati flew to put out the fires, Wendy used Aguamenti to rehydrate the Fishwoman. "Hooo. You know I hit rock bottom when I receive pity from a blue-haired child."

"I-I'm sorry, Miss."

"More importantly, why didn't you give water to the burning spiders?" Wendy looked up, leaping back in fear at the sight of a spider girl. She had lavender skin, five eyes, six arms, pigtails, and wore red rompers. "Are you some kind of spider-hater?" Her eyes blinked one at a time.

"EEEEEEEK!" Wendy's hair stood straight and her skin turned pale.

"Oh, it's alright! I'll forgive you if you buy one of my spider donuts!" She presented a donut with orange frosting and spider sprinkles. "Only 9,999 coins."

"Muffet, you know you're not allowed to charge money!" Undyne replied.

"How else am I gonna buy school supplies for spider orphans?! Demolishing the government can't happen any sooner!"

"Will you two quit 8eing so rude? It seems that we have guests!" Another figure floated out of the ship: she seemed to be 19 years old, with black hair and orange horns, with pointed glasses over her blank white eyes. Two fangs stuck out of her blue lips, she wore red boots, and a black dress with the blue outlines of a pirate uniform, which had the Scorpio on the left breast. "Hello, children! My name is…"

 _Serket Pir8s Commander, 8th Sky God Captain_

 _"Mindfang" ARANEA SERKET_

"Serket? That name seems familiar…" Wendy stroked her chin in thought. "Wait, you're a troll! You're from New Galaxia! Now I remember, Vriska Serket! Do you know anyone by that name?"

"H8H?! You know my descendant?!"

"Vriska's your descendant? I mean, I personally don't know her all that well, but she was our ally during that quest."

"Well, any partial acquaintance of Vriska is a partial acquaintance of mine." Aranea floated down and shook her hand, giving a friendly smile. "Come to think of it, you must 8e Vaati's daughter. He shows us all your 8a8y pictures, like, 8LL the time."

"Oh, dear." Wendy shrank in embarrassment.

"But if you two are partial acquaintances," Muffet said, "then I guess you're not a spider-hater after all. Care for a spider donut?"

"Sure, it looks yummy." Wendy smiled and took it.

"I'd like one too, please." Oliver said.

"Meh, I'll give it a shot." Phil followed.

"Yippee!" Maria cheered, taking one. The four friends happily savored the pastries. "Mmm, this is good! I didn't know spiders were such good cooks!"

"Well, all our goods are baked with real spiders, after all!"

The fact almost compelled the group to vomit. "Y-You're kidding, right?" Phil asked. "I mean, that's your own people."

"Spiders do eat each other." Cheadle informed.

Papyrus' head bounced over and said, "And I thought I had weird tastes! Yohohoho!"

"But so long as you enjoy our food, I won't eat you." Muffet winked.

"Anyhow," Aranea spoke, "I'm glad I ran into you, Vaati. Meta Knight wanted to hold a meeting 8etween us commanders. Quite a few new developments are taking place, it seems."

"I think I know what you mean. Well, I suppose I'll meet up with you later, Wendy. Go have some fun with your friends! There's not much else to do here after all." Vaati flew to the heavens with Aranea following.

"See you later, Dad…" Wendy waved half-heartedly.

"Wait, that guy is really your Dad?" Wendy flinched at the familiar voice. "No wonder you ran away, Wendy."

Behind her was a Chinese girl with jet-black hair with a purple streak, blue jeans, and a green shirt with a dragonfly design. "I was wondering when you'd be visiting."

"JUNE!" Wendy embraced her friend in a hug, and with a superior hug, June nearly broke her back. "Yowchie!"

"Whoops, sorry. I guess someone hasn't been getting exercise." June playfully wrapped an arm around her neck.

"I have, too! I'm way stronger than I used to be!"

"I should say so, Lass." They were approached by Monroe, a talking pug wearing a Scouter. "Accordin' to this gizmo, your Power Level is 6,000. June still tops you at 6,100."

"Guess what, Wendy, I work for the Sky God Pirates now! Star Knight Division, under Meta Knight! Man, I've been having the time of my LIFE!" June spoke exuberantly, punching the air and sometimes Wendy. "I've been to so many places and kicked so much butt! These pirates wrecking the town was the best thing that ever coulda happened!"

"Really? It seems like everyone here is pretty uncomfortable."

"Oh, they'll get over it, c'mon, let's go do something together! We gotta celebrate our newfound freedom!"

"YEAH, freedom!" Undyne suddenly hugged both girls from behind, her armor crushing their necks. "Let's go express our freedom in the nearest diner!"

"A d-d-; a diner?" Wendy choked.

"You two are my new acquaintances, and new acquaintances learn how to cook! LET'S BLOW THE ROOF OFF WITH OUR PASSIONATE RECIPES!" Undyne firmly gripped the girls' arms and raced off. "Papyrus, Sans, fix the ship! !" In seconds, they were gone.

Monroe approached the others and asked, "You lot are friends with Wendy, yah? Listen, there's something wrong with June; I think she was brainwashed by that Skaios character."

"Brainwashed?" Oliver repeated.

"Aye. When Orchid Bay fell into chaos, she got really angry, and she went up to challenge Skaios. She was out of her league, unfortunately, but all of a sudden, she started acting different. She stopped caring about the state of her town and started playing in their games."

"On the way here, Vaati actually told us something about that." Cheadle replied. "He said-"

"hey. you kids new around here?" They were approached by a short skeleton in a blue jacket, carrying tools. "i'm sans. sans the skeleton." He spoke in a lazy tone.

"Hi, Sans. My name's Oliver, this is-"

"good. she asked me to fix the ship. here you go." Sans dropped the tools in Oliver's arms and walked away. He and Phil exchanged disgruntled glances.

 **Towa City**

The speakers continuously played the Monokuma song as children played without a care in the world. Boys and girls were having play-fights in a Monokuma bounce castle, some were acting like chimps as they climbed skyscraper monkey bars, and others raced down the slides. The swing-sets made 360-degree loops and the sewers contained tunnels that children would crawl through in search of treasure or play Hide-and-Seek. Monokumas served as guards and ensured a safe, fun experience for the young citizens.

"Kare! Kare! Monokuma!" Vanellope sang along. "Kue! Kue! Monokuma! Mina de outa o utae ba chi ga afureru."

"Vanellope, Kirie is writing down the lyrics," Dillon informed, "and based on what they say, they're… singing about killing adults."

"I know, I'm Japanese, too. It's still a fun song!"

"So yeah, this is the place we grew up!" Yuta said with an optimistic smile. "It was the Free Kingdom's first liberated town. Nagisa programmed the Monokumas to convert the city into a playground. All these kids were rescued from abusive parents, and now they all live in peace."

"I totally feel a kinship with 'em! I had an abusive dad too, y'know. Hey Dillon, I'll race you to the slides!" The Program bounced excitedly and zipped her way up a building.

"Don't go by yourself!" Dillon yelled, pursuing her.

"Where does all the power come from?" Artie asked.

"We steal Power Moons from Mushroom. It's part of the reason we docked on this world." Yuta answered. "Also, did you notice how some of the islands were lowered to the ocean? That's to gather water as well as fish. Normally I'd be down there looking for treasure, but my new friends come first!"

 _"Move out of the way, dammit! !"_

 _"See ya at the finish line, sucker!"_

Kids hurriedly jumped aside when two cars came zigzagging up the street, pressed against each other. A black-haired boy and blonde, pigtailed girl were driving them, their eyes brimming with competitive desires. Sector V dodged the cars, and Monokumas jumped in front to grab them, metal and rubber screeching against the blacktop. The cars ultimately exploded, much to the operatives' horror. "OH GOD!" Yuta screamed, quickly dousing the fire with waterbending.

The racers were blown out, the boy missing an arm and the girl a foot, but despite their blackened bodies, they could only smile. "I…I almost had ya…" the girl grunted.

"Pssh… yeah right…"

"ARE YOU TWO CRAZY?!" Haruka shouted, immediately wrapping their wounds in bandages. "You're nowhere old enough to drive, and even then, this is a crowded area!"

"Hey, it's the Free Kingdom." The boy said. "There are no age restrict…ow."

"Ugh, you people have no common sense." Yuta said, cleaning the soot off them. "This is the 5th injury in a month. Monokumas, hospital!"

An ambulance haphazardly sped onto the road, barely missing idle kids as they threw the two patients onboard. "Wait, can I-…" Haruka couldn't finish her offer before the ambulance vanished around the corner.

"HOLY COOKIES, Dillon!" Vanellope was beaming at the event from a rooftop. "That was epic! That's what _Mario Kart_ needs, some good old amputation action!"

"What the heck are you saying, Vanel?! They were seriously hurt!"

"Yeah, and I'm jealous! I wanna know what it's like to have blood gushing out of a severed limb!"

"Vanel, what-…" It wasn't unlike his sister to express such violent thoughts, but to act so inconsiderate was highly unusual, especially since she had just shown concern after squashing Skaios' head. Come to think of it, she got over that pretty quickly, not even asking if he was hurt too badly. His suspicion growing, Dillon flew down to rejoin his team.

"Hey, Yutax!" the shadowbender called, approaching the guide with a piercing glare. "Vanellope's acting kinda weird. Heck, all these kids are weird, singing this creepy song. Is there some kinda brainwashing going around?"

"Brainwashing?!" Haylee exclaimed.

Yuta sighed in a manner that admitted defeat. "I also noticed it when my friends started acting different, and every other person in our crew was affected as well. Then Nagisa figured it out: Skaios has the ability to ignite peoples' free spirits. When a person possesses the desire to rebel and have fun, Skaios can enhance that desire until all their restraint is drained away. Because of that, our rebellious citizens injure themselves on a daily basis."

"So, Vanellope was affected by him? But she's just a Program."

"Well, Dillon, you believe more than anyone that she has a soul." Haruka inferred. "I mean, I believe it too, and by the looks of it, Skaios has touched that soul."

"Her wish was to leave the virtual world and live with us humans." Chris recollected. "That's her rebellious spirit. Still, if you say your friends were affected, why do you sound so mature?"

"Yeah, didn't you say you hated your dad for cutting those designs in your body?" Haruka inquired.

Yuta bit his lower lip, anxious about revealing the truth. "Well… that's what I tell them, anyway. But actually… I enjoyed it. It hurt at first, but I slowly began to embrace my heritage. I could feel my chi growing stronger whenever these wounds burned in a hot bath. But other kids thought I was a freak because of that, except the Hope Pirates, because they thought I was being tortured like them. And I thought the pirate thing was only gonna last a short time, I never wanted to be dragged into… this."

"So, you never wanted to rebel." Harry presumed. "You're basically a prisoner, too. …!" The eldest triplet gasped, "Crap! Sheila!"

"Sheila?" Artie cocked a brow.

"What if Sheila's spirit was touched by Skaios, too?! What if she does something reckless? You know how she is."

"Whoa, you're right! We should call her and Mason." Artie dialed his communicator. "This is Artie to Maso-"

 _"I'LL MOUNT YER HEADS ON A WALL!"_ a gruff voice bellowed, followed by a crashing noise!

"And the mission's a bust." Haruka face-palmed.

 **Evermore**

"HOW DARE you kids steal my Titan Turkey!" A muscular pirate brought down a mighty hammer, Sheila throwing up her fist in defense. The pirate had a thick brown mustache, brows, and long hair, wearing a brown fur top and necklace of sharp fangs.

 _Cloudcoil Pirates Captain_

 _"Cloud Snake" BATU_

Mason leapt atop the hammer and shot a Gas Bomb at Batu, the man falling backwards. His crewmen, Khunbish, Chingis, and Munokhoi flew overhead on Wyvern Gliders and shot crossbows, to which Sheila spun and whacked the arrows away with her Light Tail. Sheila sent the Light Tail to knock Khunbish off, but Chingis dropped down and smashed the Faunus. "Got ya, street rat! Huh?!" To his misfortune, Sheila channeled chi to her feet, kicking them rapidly as she began to run around the town with Chingis obscuring her vision. "OOF! OW! ARGH!" She rammed him headfirst into several buildings. "Help me, Munokhoi!"

"Aye-aye!" His comrade flew overhead in attempt to grab Chingis by the shirt, but Sheila finally lifted him up with both hands to breathe. She saw Munokhoi and swung a kick, her Light Foot flipping the glider upside-down. She then jumped and slammed Chingis on top of it, pressing Munokhoi into the ground.

"Why you getting so mad?" Mason asked Batu. "It's the Free Kingdom, I thought anything goes."

"Aye! That's why there's no law against me runnin' ye through!" Batu performed a spin attack, Mason jumping away from the massive hammer as he released a stream of gas. Mason willed the gas to spiral around Batu's head and up his nostrils, the Cloud Snake stopping to pinch his nose. Mason blasted up to the pirate and pressed hands to his stomach, stirring Batu's acids and bringing him to his knees. "Argh, you little devil!"

"'Bet you're glad you didn't have that turkey now!" Mason grabbed two blue cans of Cold Flurp and bent the soda out to freeze the Cloud Snake. Batu furiously shook free and grabbed his hammer, withstanding his stomach pains as he tried to smash Mason again.

"Don't worry Dad, I'm coming!" A pigtailed girl with magenta hair and a forest dress came racing through town, ready to drive her spear through Mason. Sheila saw this and intercepted her at lightspeed, her foot meeting Tani's head and launching her over the roofs. The forest girl stretched vines from pots on her belt and caught a roof, slingshotting herself back to Sheila. The Faunus dodged and punched Light Spheres that Tani deflected by twirling her spear, then she leapt back and readied her bow.

"…" When Tani focused on her target, her eyes widened in realization, and she let out a gasp. "Oh… my… God!" With a beaming face that belonged to a fangirl, Tani pointed, "You're Sheila the Sunny Fist! I-I was just kicked in the face by the great Sunny Fist!" Tani touched the sore spot and gently rubbed it. "So that's how it feels… to receive a Sunny Fist. This is the best day of my life."

"Well, it was a Sunny Foot, but I'd be happy to punch you." Sheila smirked.

"OH GOSH, THAT WOULD BE SO AMAZING! !" Tani clapped her hands in prayer.

"Eh, it's weird when they actually want it…"

"Well, snakes alive!" Batu exclaimed. "You're a real pirate legend! No wonder a little lassie could salvage so much Titan Turkey."

"And I still got room for more!" Sheila grinned, rubbing her tummy.

"I wish you recognized her from the start." Mason sighed.

"So, what brings you runts here? Here to partake in our everlasting freedom?"

Tani's beaming expression faded to a downtrodden one. It was no surprise that her hero would be lured in to this "paradise," but she feared Sheila would become another enemy. "Actually, we…" Mason explained their mission.

"An alliance, is it? Sayin' you got friends to rescue? Sigh, I suppose that makes two of us…" Batu spoke sullenly.

"A friend of yours was captured, too?" Mason assumed.

"Yeah, it's our…" Tani was about to respond, until an idea crossed her mind. "Wait… the great Sheila Frantic, who defeated the former Big Mom and two Emperors, Mandy and Blackbeard… This could be my chance to become Captain."

"Wot are you getting at now?" Sheila asked.

Tani grabbed Sheila's hand, dropped to her knees, and begged with all her heart, "Please, Sheila! Please let me kick your arse!"

"You just asked Sheila to punch you!" Mason shouted.

"I know I did! But if I beat someone as strong as you, maybe they'll let me have a turn at being Captain. Then I…I might be able to save him."

 **Somewhere on the sea**

"BOOOOOOOOSH!" After his meal, the young god decided to burn off his calories by running rings around the world. "GOOOOO!" Some of the Mushroomians thought the ghost of Sonic was paying them an angry visit, for ships were swept away in tidal waves and seaside towns drowned. "Man, I wanna just ditch the kart and use me own two feet! Nah, but then they wouldn't stand a chance against me, ya ha haaaaa! OWF!" He was forcibly stopped in his tracks. "'ey! What the-?!" He desperately shook. "Can't a guy run into the sunset in peace?"

"'Guess your own little feet aren't fast enough." A gigantic shadow stretched from Skaios' form, its toes holding him in place. Midna smiled down at the little god.

"YOU?! When did you get so big?!"

Midna tilted her head up. "Duh, shadows get bigger during twilight." Midna retracted to normal size as she fully emerged, standing on the water with him. "But you're pretty small for a sky."

"Small or not, I'm as equal to you as anyone else."

Midna grew herself 10 feet taller. "You're looking less equal by the minute."

"Grrrr, WHO CARES, Ay can rip ya to pieces if I wanted to!"

"Aww, a cute little god thinks he can beat me." she teased, smiling mischievously.

"I totally can! I'm stronger AND faster than you!" Skaios shouted defensively.

"But you said you were equal to me."

"Gyup-!" the god flushed. "W-W-Well, I… nyag, who cares what you think!"

"Oh, admit it, Skaiee." Midna pinched his little cheek. "As 'equal' as you think you are, you're still a kid. A delusional kid who only thinks one way, just like Jirachi used to be."

"So are the other gods! It's always Balance this and Balance that. They never wanna have fun, and if one of 'em tries to, they get locked away!"

"Are you sure?" Midna lightly pressed him between two fingers. "Because I'm having fun right now! And I'm not being locked away. Eee hee hee!"

"Grarrrr!" Skaios sunk his teeth into her right finger, but Midna retaliated by pressing him against her palm. Skaios blew a godly gust at her stomach, only for Midna to bend herself and avoid. "Stop it!" Skaios blasted wind at every part of her body, but Midna expertly dodged and kept him pinned. "This isn't fair, you're bigger than me!"

"Duh, that's what big sisters do!"

"S…Sister?"

Midna shrunk to normal size, "Well, yeah. I said we were kin, right?" She bore a friendly smile. "I'm a Firstborn and you're a Newborn. That makes me your biiiiiiig SISTER!" Her right Hair Hand grew bigger and POKED Skaios forcefully.

"You're a big pain is what you are!"

"Yeah, but you know you love me, you little pain!" Midna held him down with both Hair Hands and twisted one's knuckle into his skull.

"Ouchie, hahaha! Stop it, it tickles, hahahahaha!" Both siblings began to giggle happily. …Siblings. That's the word that came to Skaios' mind. When Midna stopped tickling, both stared into each other's eye(s). To Midna, Skaios seemed like the adorable little brother helpless to his sister's strength, and to him, Midna seemed like a responsible big sibling he aspired to be…

Skaios shook that thought out, growling and looking away from her. "Family? The Hope Pirates are my family. Heck, the whole crew are, and you're nowhere as fun as them."

"Are they really your family? Or just friends?"

"W-What's the difference?"

"Well, the saying is 'friends come and go,' but in the KND, that's kinda not true." She rolled her eyes in disbelief. "So, maybe there is no difference. Still, I feel the need to look out for you, just as I wanted to look out for Danika, despite setting me free."

"…" Skaios could find no rebuttal, internally touched by the gesture. For some reason, he didn't want to tell her off. "Um… well, my crew needs me. Ay'd best be gettin' back soon, Lassie."

"Whatever you say, little pirate."

"Arrrgh…" With a red face, Skaios made the flight back to his kingdom. Midna teleported back as well.

 **Orchid City; Golden Corral**

"SKEWER THESE FISH LIKE YOU'RE MOWING GRASS!" Undyne bellowed, slashing her blade ceaselessly as the chefs threw fish at the three. "COME ON, GIRLS, SKEWER FASTER!"

"GRAAAAAH, WE'RE TRYING, BOSS!" Juniper roared, pouring all power into her sword.

"They're getting down my dress! !" Wendy cried.

"SUSHI TIME OVER! START ROLLING PIZZA!" Undyne began to roll pizza dough until it was perfectly flat, and the table started flattening, too. June's sweat dripped onto the dough, and Wendy felt like her wrists were twisting around the handles of the roller. "Great, now let's bake a cake!" Undyne grabbed a dozen sacks of flour and chucked them in the bowl like bombs, and June tossed 20 eggs, Wendy brought a jug of milk—

"No, like this!" June threw four jugs into the bowl. There was such a big mess around the area, Wendy couldn't imagine how awful the cake would look.

"I'll get it cookin', start frying the eggs!" Undyne ordered, setting the oven to its highest temperature. Wendy cracked open some eggs and meekly began to fry them—June chucked more eggs in the pan, turning them into a goopy mass that melted through the overheated pan, and they began burning through the oven like acid. "Now veggies!" Undyne and June started to slice veggies on another table, chopping up said table in the process. All the restaurant cooks had abandoned this losing battle.

"So, what's your story, Blue Hair, where you from?" Undyne asked mid-chopping.

"It's a very long story." Wendy wept. "What about you?"

"I'm from Planet Deltarune, the Land of Caves and Silence. Used to be a royal guard 'til Aranea showed me the pirate life."

"Th-That's nice. …Uh, guys?" Wendy pointed at the blazing oven. "I think the cake's burning."

"FASTEEEEEERRRRR!" Undyne and June were beginning to cut the walls.

"RAAAAAAAAAH I'M GIVING IT ALL I GOT!"

Golden Corral caught on fire and collapsed, the customers all fleeing. June BURST out of the rubble as Wendy helped Undyne out, rehydrating her with a water spell. "FUHUHUHU! Are you girls feeling the PASSION?!"

"YEAH! I'M REALLY FEELIN' IT!" June bellowed.

"You girls are completely loco! !" Monroe shouted.

"I'll say!" Cheadle stated. "Look at all the people you almost hurt!"

"Man, I wanted to go in there, too!" Maria whined.

"No you didn't, young lady!"

"Man, I've got so much energy now! Wendy, let's go burn off our energy at the arena!" June yelled.

"May I please rest, June, I'm exhausted."

"BOY, you're a wuss! Fine, we'll go without you, right Undyne?!"

"YOU SAID IT, sister!" Both girls raced to the arena, practically scorching the road.

"JUUUNE! COME BACK, LASS!" Monroe pled. "You need to stop acting like this! For God's sake, Ray-Ray's still in the hospital!"

"June's brother?" Wendy inquired.

"Sigh, when June started acting crazy, she let him fight in the arena. He put up a good fight, until he was up against Commander Uchiha. …Poor lad was burned to a crisp. And all June did was cheer him on. If she were in her right mind, she woulda jumped in and stopped that fight."

"Then what Vaati said was true." Cheadle replied. "Her rebellious spirit has overtaken her common sense."

 _"Oh, MARIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAA! Guess WHOOOOOOOO!"_

"That voice!" Maria gasped, facing the heavens. "LOUISE?!"

A fleet of Hat Ships with mustache Jolly Rogers soared over the city. Louise Mario was mounted atop the flagship, her 'stache blowing in the breeze and her Paint Staff shining with gold paint. "Vaati told me you were here. Welcome to the Free Kingdom! I just nabbed me a hefty bounty!"

Maria's gaze fell to the hunk of gold hanging from the ship. "Wow, you found treasure?! It's so pretty-looking!"

"Oh, it's no ordinary treasure. This guy was pretty high on the pirates' black list. Allow me to introduce the sorry, saggy form of…" Louise lowered the gold mass: upon closer inspection, it was a teenage boy in slanted red glasses and a gold-painted flamingo coat. Maria and Cheadle gasped in realization: "Don Quixote Doflamingo, Jr.! Hah, he and his circus clowns didn't stand a chance!"

* * *

 **Aranea Serket is from _Homestuck_ (trivia: I was originally gonna do a twist where Aranea Fulbright was actually Serket). Undyne, Papyrus, and Sans are _Undertale_ , and Batu and Tani are _Ni no Kuni II_. I also wanna welcome Sarstar to the Gameverse! Let's hope she catches up here to read this note!**


	5. Faulty Gamble

**If you're asking where I've been, the answer is Degree Project. If you don't care, let's get back to the action!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 5: Faulty Gamble_**

 **Empty field on Mushroom; not long ago**

As twilight glimmered in the distance, Doflamingo Jr. gazed upon the field with a crescent smile. "This is pretty nice land. Vegetation is good, the weather is fair… and it's free for the taking. No one would care if someone decided to set up shop here. So, why are _you_ getting in my way?"

He turned to a golden-eyed girl whose form was mostly shadowed in the twilight: Louise Mario. "Duh! Because you're a villain, and cowering in this wasteland ain't gonna change that."

"And who are you to judge what's good or evil?"

"Please, you're the spitting image of your father, and the news had a field day with-"

Doffy whipped a string at Louise, the girl dodging by a heartbeat. "You aren't welcome in my new kingdom, Princess. Now, LEAVE!" The prince shot string bullets, Louise evading as she ate a Bee Shroom. She took flight, countering Doffy's bullets with stingers. Doffy took a few hits before launching and catching Louise's legs with strings, smashing her facefirst against the ground. Louise swiftly cut the strings with the spike of her staff, and when Doffy launched them again, Louise flipped up while drenching that spot with Honey Goop, sticking those strings to the ground. Louise then ran along those strings and jumped against his face.

Doffy detached those strings as severe pain coursed through him; Mushroomians truly did have strong legs. Doffy connected a bunch of strings between surrounding trees and shot bullets at them, the bullets rapidly bouncing between the bungees and hitting Louise from various angles. Doffy also began slingshotting himself into Louise, knocking her out of her bee form, so out of frustration, she changed her staff to Cement Paint and created concrete walls to protect herself. Doffy smirked and merely destroyed the barrier, only to realize Louise fled into a Paint Portal.

She emerged from a nearby portal she painted previously. Louise consumed a Boomerang Flower and sliced all the bungees, until Doffy lunged himself at her and pinned her to the ground. However, the boomerang returned and bonked his head, Louise kicking him off and then jumping on his chest to paint Cement Goop across him. Doffy struggled to break the cement off, but could not before Louise Ground Pounded him, forcing blood out of the prince.

Louise jumped off as Doffy struggled to get back up, panting while holding his stomach. "I'm sick of dealing with bitches like you… who think they're trying to uphold justice. That there's only one way. And all I'm trying to do is start over again—eh?!" Doffy realized his slippers were stuck to the ground with Honey Goop. Before he could attempt to escape, Louise ran up and stamped him in the face again.

"You'll have plenty of time to start over in the Free Kingdom. So long as you play along." Louise kicked his unconscious form onto its front. "Inklings, get the metahuman restraints!" she ordered as she began to paint Doffy's feathers gold. "It's time to haul our bounty!"

 **Current time, Inkopolis dungeon**

Louise's crewmen had locked the Noah's Ark performers in a sewer dungeon, while Doffy was taken elsewhere. The chief Inkling, an orange-haired female one with pink shoes, handed a list to a White Lotus officer, Katniss Everdeen. "So, these are the Devil Fruit powers that these circus performers use. Thank you, Squitaba."

"W-a-ah~!" Squitaba affirmed in her native tongue and saluted.

Aboveground, Sector MG accompanied Louise at an Inkling skate park. "But I STOMPED his back one more time for good measure!" Louise demonstrated this feat by stomping the back of a blue-haired Inkling boy. "And that's basically how the battle went." Louise concluded. "It's a lot cooler if you saw it in person."

"Cough! Yeah, but wait'll you hear how we fought his crewmen!" exclaimed Squam, the Inkling in question. He was Squitaba's co-chief in the group. "First, that Joker guy, he had a power that-"

"Don't bore your audience, Squam." Louise interrupted, stepping off him.

"Bore?! Why don't I get to use you like a punching ba-" Louise poked his eyes. "Yo-o-ow!"

"I'm glad you're as strong as ever, Louise!" Maria grinned.

"Wish I could say the same. Your leg still ain't healed yet, eh?"

"Yes, and that's partially your fault." Cheadle told her firmly. "You almost got yourself and your sister killed with your reckless actions."

"Hey, I had feelings I had to get out, and I'm not ashamed of that."

"Seconded!" Maria nodded proudly.

"Honestly, you girls." Cheadle sighed. "Anyway, Louise, I want to ask you something: since the Sky God Pirates are docked on Mushroom, you aren't planning to invade the capital, are you?"

"Actually, when I was captain, I decreed that the pirates wouldn't attack Mushroom Castle. I had just a _teeny_ bit of mercy left for my parents, though it's mostly 'cause I didn't wanna see them."

"You decreed?" Oliver asked. "I thought this place had no laws."

"None except our own moral laws. I dunno if he told you, but Mr. Vaati's the one who proposed to Skaios that everyone should take turns being captain. We all agreed that if the captains made any sort of important decision, the other crewmen would have to respect that decision. But if someone went against it, or tried to make a law against it, those two had to battle for their belief!" Louise raised her gold-painted staff with vigor. "Still, if someone wanted to steal Toad Town, I wouldn't care."

"Well, I would!" Cheadle argued. "That's why I need to save Mobius! Could you at least have me taken to Peach so I can show her I'm okay?"

"Not ME, that would just be too awkward! Squam can just take you."

"Fine, but can it wait 'til tomorrow? I wanna play in the Turf War tonight." Squam replied, rubbing his eyes still.

"Fine. We still need to help Romeo and Kiki recover, anyway. Let's go check on them now." Cheadle began to push Maria's wheelchair out of the city.

"Can I stay and watch the Turf War?" Maria asked.

"No, your friends come first."

"Whatever, Mom."

"Stop calling me 'Mom'! !"

 ** _Santa Hylia_** **; Meeting Room**

The Commanders gathered at a round table with a digital map of the Free Kingdom, with a display similar to the Sheikah Slate. Among them were Vaati, Aranea Serket, Meta Knight, Nagisa, Monaca, as well as a black-haired Japanese man in a dark cloak.

"I'd like to thank everyone who chose to attend this meeting." Meta Knight began. "I acknowledge that holding meetings is completely optional and most of you have more important things to do, but I digress. First, I believe Captain Nagisa has news for us?"

"Yes, it would seem that two KND sectors from Earth have been welcomed into our kingdom." Nagisa recapped. "Sectors MG and V. The latter, in particular, is requesting an alliance in order to combat the other three Yonko. How do you all feel about this?"

"Regarding the Emperors," Meta Knight followed, "following Queen Sherry's return, and Kroctus and Mandy conquering Mobius and Hyrule respectively, I have no doubts Skaios will want to liberate their domains. We cannot avoid a war with them. My greatest concern is Skaios himself."

"I agree." Vaati replied. "Skaios is a Firstborn, there's no doubt about that. If the Emperors seize him, they'll harness his power and become invincible. We should find a suitable place to hide Skaios until this war is over."

"I 8elieve I could easily persuade Skaios to come to New Galaxia with me." Aranea offered. "He couldn't resist exploring such a realm, and the Emperors would go M8D trying to navig8 the-"

"Ufufufu." Monaca giggled. "Would you really deny Skaios to take part in such an exciting battle? No friend deserves to be left out. Monaca would be sad if that happens." She twisted her finger into the table with a mopey expression. "And Vaati, you're such a hypocrite. How dare you attempt to deny him his freedom."

"If the Emperors claim Skaios, our quest for freedom will crumble. It would only be a temporary-"

"I think you're jealous." Monaca's eyes gazed at the Minish hypnotically, as if trying to dig into his half of a soul. "Skaios has the exact same goals as you, yet he's become much more successful and powerful. That's why you asked Skaios to let people take turns being captain. You wanted Skaios' perfect utopia to fall apart. You're trying to sabotage us."

"I most certainly am not!"

"Well, it's not Monaca's choice, anyway. It's Captain Nagisa's choice!"

"Huh?" The boy flushed for a moment. "Yes, well… Skaios would be a major asset in the upcoming battle, but I cannot deny he is reckless. And I fear if I tried to reason with him, he would not listen. I would want to keep him out of battle as long as possible."

"So, you're preparing to lead us into a great war all by your lonesome?"

"W-Well, I mean, I'll elect a new captain-"

"But if the decision to keep Skaios out of battle is yours, then we'll have to respect it. Remember, Nagisa, we have a lot of faith in your wise decisions. Our expectations are extremely high."

"E-Extremely… high?" Nagisa began to sweat, his temperature rising from anxiety. More than anything, he couldn't bear to disappoint his family—he means, his crewmen. All the responsibility weighed on his shoulders.

"Nagisa," Meta Knight began, "if this decision is too difficult for you, you may choose a captain who you believe is more suitable. After all, it may be a while before war actually-"

"NO!" Monaca began flailing her fists in a tantrum. "This! Is! His! MOMENT! Nagisa is the smartest! And most capable one! To lead us! In these! Dark! Times!"

"P-Please, be quiet for a second!" Nagisa shouted. "I need a moment to think…"

"Enough!" Vaati shouted. "You're right. I proposed the 'taking turns' rule because I didn't believe Skaios was qualified to run this crew. While I desire nothing more than freedom, an organized leadership is a must to attain that goal. Not everyone on this crew is fit for the task."

"But that's basically what America and other countries do." Monaca replied. "A bunch of old, smelly adults thinking their opinion is right, convincing everyone else to make them the leader. That's what we're trying to stop, isn't it? So, maybe you are a hypocrite, Vaati."

"Monaca, forgive me, but you are bringing us off topic." Meta Knight said.

"No, Meta Knight, _you're_ the one who strayed off topic."

"Excuse me?"

"You joined this crew with the claim that you were the greatest Star Warrior. But that's a lie, right? You never defeated the wielder of the Galaxia Sword. You never defeated Nigel Uno."

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"I wonder… would Nigel's children be able to hold the Galaxia Sword? Two of them are here in our kingdom. Perhaps you should see if one of them has the sword. Perhaps you should take it for yourself. Our crew should accept none but the strongest, and that includes the strongest Star Warrior. You must bring honor to the crew of Emperor Skaios."

"Y…Yes… You are right." Meta Knight pondered over Monaca's words, only now realizing the tempting possibility. "Perhaps this could be my second chance. I already possess the Aixalag Sword… and if Nigel's children inherited his right to wield the sword—that does not matter now!"

"It DOES matter!" Monaca banged her fists on the table. She was extremely passionate in her words. "It is your DREAM! To be the greatest Star Swordsman! A MAN! MUST NOT! ABANDON! HIS DREAM!"

Vaati grit his teeth, glaring at her. _I never understood this girl. She was always the most assertive during meetings, and she almost always got her way. I don't know what her deal is, but… I sense powerful darkness and desire within her._

" **Enough**!" A lightning bolt struck from one end of the table. All eyes were directed on the Japanese man, his fingers brimming with electric chi. Before his cold gaze, even Monaca silenced, folding her hands politely. "As far as I can tell, no one here is qualified to lead. Especially not some brat. Now, for the sake of progress, my spies have been thoroughly studying the other crews and I've proceeded to develop a strategy. Right now, our immediate threat are the KND operatives in our kingdom. If the Will of Rebellion doesn't awaken inside them and they refuse to join our crew, they must be destroyed."

"Destroyed?!" exclaimed Vaati. "That's my DAUGHTER you're talking about! And besides, Nagisa said they wanted to form an alliance."

"They're as big a threat to us as the other Yonko. And like the Yonko, they have the potential to rule their worlds if they want to. If they don't submit to us, I will personally destroy them myself."

"Not until I have my Galaxia Sword, Commander Uchiha." Meta Knight stated.

 _Red Leaf Division Commander_

 _"Sharingan" SASUKE UCHIHA_

"Now, shall I go over my strategy with you, 'Captain'?" Sasuke asked Nagisa with sarcasm. "Or will you be wise and hand the hat over to me?"

"But you can't force the current captain to surrender their title." Monaca reminded. "Or else Skaios will get mad. Nagisa, I think Uchiha-san is too scary to be Captain, don't you think?"

"Y-Y-Y…Y-Y-Y…" Nagisa wanted to agree, but his teeth sealed his words inside. Sasuke's cold glare was freezing him, and yet he had to either confirm or deny, for everyone was depending on him, as the captain. If he made the wrong choice for the next captain, their mistakes would fall on his shoulders. "T-Too… sca-ry… wr-ong…"

"Ahem, come to think of it, where is Skaios, anyway?" Aranea asked, longing to change the subject.

"I think he's engaged in a rather exciting match right now." Monaca smiled. "Ufufu! And the legendary Sunny-Fist is participating."

 **Orchid Bay Stadium**

The former baseball stadium had been repurposed as a combat arena, using Element Stones to project holographic environments. Sheila Frantic and Tani were doing warm-ups, eager to please the crowds with their prowess. Tani was especially happy; not only did she actually have a chance to battle her hero, the great Sunny Fist, but if she were allowed to become Captain, she could finally free Evan and have Evermore returned to its rightful place.

The battlefield was given the illusion of a jungle with a river, in which they would fight atop wooden platforms along said river. "Yahoooooo!" Skaios cheered, barely noticeable within the stands of citizens. "Give me some bloodshed, maties!"

"Shouldn't the Emperor have a more special seat?"

"Eh?" Skaios flinched when Midna emerged behind him. "Er… well, as an equal to everyone else, I deserve as average a seat as anyone! But since you're here, feel free to sit beside me."

"Or I could do this." Midna lifted Skaios up, took his seat, and sat him in her lap. "Big sisters get to share seats with their little brothers."

"Errrrr…" Skaios blushed.

"Still… isn't that…" Midna recognized one of the fighters. Almost coincidentally, she noticed the Sector V operatives entering several aisles away.

The teammates bolted into the stadium and saw Sheila facing her opponent. "SHEILA! What do you think you're doing?!" Aurora shouted.

"Howdy, fellas!" To their surprise, Kokichi greeted them with a vibrant grin. "This your first time here? How 'bout placing a bet! Matches are always more exciting when your livelihood is on the line."

"That's our friend in there! We didn't agree to sign her up for this!"

"There you guys are." Mason came jogging up the aisles. "Look, let me explain."

 ** _"Three…two…one… GO!"_**

Tani gave a battle cry and ran to jab her spear at Sheila, the Faunus quickly dodging before swinging a kick. Tani back-flipped and shot an arrow at Sheila's right hip. Sheila grunted and began to whirl her fist, evading Tani's arrows while keeping her sights on the pirate. Sheila launched her fist, but Tani dodged and spun toward Sheila with spear outreached. Sheila quickly ran backwards, controlling the thrown Light Fist as she made it ricochet in the air and come back at Tani. The Forest Princess was punched in the jaw, Tani falling in the artificial river, but she willed the vines of a tree to grab her and throw her at Sheila.

Sheila brought up her fist to defend from Tani's whirling kick. The plantbender was swift to bounce back to recovery and cut Sheila's arm with the spear's tip. _Blimey, holding back is a pain. Don't mean she's gonna do the same. Hehe, it rhymes, eh?_ With a humored grin, Sheila used Light Feet to zip circles around Tani, who braced herself to dodge in whichever direction. Sheila finally zipped up, jumped, and brought a foot down, Tani dodging as it broke through the platform. Tani shot arrows, noticing that Sheila was only using one Light Foot now. Tani gasped in realization, but could not dodge in time before the other foot burst up through the platform and kicked Tani in the chin!

During this time, Mason explained what led to Sheila entering this match. "So, she's trying to help a friend." Haruka summarized. "Well, I guess that isn't too bad. And I guess we need to participate in their games, anyway. We were just a little worried because…"

"Oh, so this fight is all a hoax, huh?" Kokichi asked, startling the group; they had completely forgotten his presence. "I see… That's a problem, because Tani kinda made a bet with me before this match started. If she wins, she gets my authority over Goldpaw, and a chance to be Captain. Gee, I shouldn't have taken this bet…" He bowed his head, downtrodden.

"Uhh…" Mason mentally panicked, cursing himself for screwing up the plan like this.

"Oh, no worries." Kokichi smiled modestly. "I won't call the bet off. After all, it's for a good cause, right?"

"Um… okay?" Mason cocked a brow in suspicion.

 ** _"CHANGE FIELDS!"_** The jungle river setting suddenly morphed into a sky, Sheila and Tani catching their balance on a tilting plane! Sheila glanced down left, seeing another plane about to pass below them, and smirked. Sheila jumped and Ground Pounded the wing, causing the plane to spin. "Whoooaaa!" Tani held onto the other wing while Sheila dropped to the lower plane. The upper plane stopped spinning, but was upside-down as Tani hung on the side. Sheila punched a Light Fist up, but Tani dodged by dropping down, falling past Sheila's plane, but the admirer stretched up her potted vines to catch the wing.

Tani swung up onto Sheila's plane and shot Haki arrows at her hero, and with less room to maneuver, Sheila suffered some cuts from the three-shot bow. Sheila spun around with a Light Tail and tried to whack Tani off, the forest girl running and leaping off the wing and onto another plane. Sheila ceased spinning and followed her, but the planes were growing too far apart. Sheila charged up a Light Fist and fired, but Tani ducked and shot an arrow at the propeller of Sheila's plane. This caused the plane to short out and sink. Sheila, still in control of the thrown Light Fist, willed it to bounce around the air again on a route to Tani.

The Forest Princess spotted the fist and decided to jump down to Sheila's plane, the latter having to roll back to avoid being crushed. This caused the plane to tilt, Sheila nearly slipping off the opposite wing, but she pressed her fingers to it to hang on. Sheila used her free hand to control the still-flying fist, and was about to punch Tani off the plane. Tani was one step ahead, imbuing her spear with Haki and BATTING the Light Fist with excellent timing, striking Sheila as she took the fall.

"OW! !" Skaios screamed, blasting air in blind excitement. "I FEEL LIKE I FELT THAT, AND IT FELT GOOD! … …Oops." It was then he realized his air blast killed the audience to his left. All the other surrounding people began to get away from him out of fear.

"YOU IDIOT!" Midna smacked him in the head. "This is why you need to CONTROL yourself!"

"Hey, it's no big deal, they'll just become spirits!"

"Ugh, you really don't understand a thing!"

"C-Can't this wait until after the fight?"

 ** _"CHANGE FIELDS!"_** Just as Sheila was falling, the field morphed again, giving it the form of two large platforms, separated by a chasm. The only way to travel between them is via cannons. Sheila ran up to deal rapid Light Punches at Tani, the girl blocking with her Haki spear as fast as possible, but Sheila managed to get some punches, prompting Tani to back off. _Sheila, I get that you're not trying to make it too obvious, but you could start showing a little fatigue._

"Quit runnin', you coward!" Sheila yelled, entering her Midas Body form. Her sunny body warmed the entire stadium.

"The… Will of Rebellion?" Mason questioned, after hearing his friends' explanation.

"That's why we think Sheila is in danger." Haylee replied. "Around Skaios, Sheila could lose her sense of restraint."

"Um, I think Skaios is supposed to be here, but…"

Tani could not keep track of Sheila's light speed, the Faunus laying several powerful punches upon her. "What the hell, Sheila?! You're hitting me too—" Sheila kicked her toward the cannons. "Oh, flip this!" Tani jumped in a cannon and blasted over to the other field. She chose to wait until Sheila's Fury wore off and would use the cannons again if she came over here. However, Sheila appeared to be aiming her fists at the sun and was forming two gigantic Light Fists. Her fists were large enough to cross the width of Tani's area. Once Sheila was finished, she faced Tani and launched both fists. "FLIPPIN' HE—!"

The fists crashed into the side of the stadium, disappearing to reveal a torn Tani. The stadium changed into a regular form as the pirate dropped in defeat. "TANIIII!" Batu bolted onto the field.

"AND SHEILA WINS THE COMBAT!" Kokichi cheered.

"YEEEEEEHHH!" Sheila beamed. "Sunny Fist shines like a—arrrhhh…" Sheila's Fury wore off, the raccoon kneeling in exhaust. "Ouch… me muscles… they hurt."

"SHEILA!" Tani bellowed as Batu carried her to her former hero. "WHAT THE HELL?! You were supposed to let me WIN! You didn't hold back at all!"

"Holdin' back is for sissies! If you weren't tough enough, you weren't worth the—ow."

"Nee hee hee! Such a shame your plan didn't work." Kokichi approached them with a shiny grin. "I guess your precious Sheila was just lying to you. In any case, the bet is fulfilled: not only do I keep my control of Goldpaw, but Evermore is officially MY property! And as the ruler of Evermore, I forbid the Cloudcoil Pirates from setting foot on my land."

"WHAT?! But that totally breaks the rules of this-"

"WHO CARES ABOUT THE RULES?!" Kokichi's skin turned black, and his hair white. "Rules are meant to be broken, that's the entire point of this place! I'm totally gonna remodel Evermore and you'll have NO say in it!"

"The HELL we don't, ye skinny brat!" Batu thundered. But it was then he received a call from Khunbish.

 _"Captain Batu! All the crewmen have just been forced out of Evermore! We can't get back in because of some barrier!"_

"What?! But you…"

"HA HA HA HA!" Darkness shrouded Kokichi. "The Dice-Dice Fruit gives me ultimate control over anything I win! Get used to it, kid, because your kingdom is NEVER going back to its-"

A flaming fist PUNCHED the side of his head, Kokichi keeling over. "You look like a real shady bastard." Chris stated. "You KNEW Sheila was gonna lose her restraint."

"WAAAAAAH!" Kokichi cried like a child. "It wasn't my fault! ! I had no idea what they were planning, honest! I just wanted to make a beeeeeet!"

"You wanna bet?!" Dillon shouted. "You can bet we're gonna beat the crap out of you if you don't-"

"HEY, DILLON!" Vanellope glitched over, wearing a white straitjacket and clown mask. "I'm in the Dice Pirates now!"

"You're WHAT?!"

"I made a bet with one of the crewmen, if Sheila didn't win by the 2nd field change, I would join them. 'Guess you're gonna hafta get Carol in your crew again!"

"Oh, did I forget to mention?" Kokichi asked. "My crewmen are allowed to make bets on my behalf, which means they can sorta use the Dice-Dice Fruit, too. So, Vanellope is now my property."

"Vanel is NOT property!" Dillon argued. "She's a person!"

"Doesn't matter! She's not allowed to work for your team, anymore!"

"Sorry, Dillon, I'll miss ya! Sheila, race you around the top of the stadium!" She zipped away.

"YOU'RE ON!" The excited raccoon raced after—"Ow." She tripped.

"Oh, man." Mason sighed, helping his friend up. "Sheila, your chi paths have been hurting ever since the Blackbeard fight. You need to watch how much you use your power."

"I'll say." Batu said angrily.

"Ah, well, I have places to be, so I can't be your punching bag." Kokichi said, casually brushing the dirt off himself. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of your Penelope." And he calmly walked out of the stadium.

Dillon grit his teeth in anger and was about to correct him, until another sight caught his eyes: "Mortal lives aren't something you can just take away!" Midna was shouting at Skaios. "You spout all this nonsense about freedom, but you don't give them the freedom to live!"

"W-What's the big deal?! Everyone dies and becomes spirits, it's what makes them free!"

"Mortals are meant to live and influence the Mortal World, which will thereby influence the Spirit World. If people die suddenly, their spirits will despair and be corrupted by darkness, ESPECIALLY if a god kills them! I won't sit by and let you think you can do whatever you want!"

"OKAY!" Skaios shut his eye, shrinking in Midna's imposing, authoritive shadow. "I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I promise! …?" Those words stirred an unusual feeling in Skaios. He can't remember ever being scolded, and yet he instinctively knew the right words to say.

"Sigh… Let's go to your room to talk." Midna held his hand and walked him out of the stadium. She glanced at the field, her eye perking up when she noticed Dillon staring at her. She decided to send her shadow to the operatives.

Vanellope was now racing her fellow Dice Pirates around the stadium roof, but she stopped when a heavy feeling touched her heart. "Wait… did I just _bet_ myself?" She took off her mask and looked down at Sector V. "Did I just abandon my team… over a bet?"

"Oi, Penelope, why'd you stop?" a buff Dice Pirate asked.

"Uh, guys? I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm going back to-" But an unseen force prevented her from going back.

"It's too late for that, mate. You already lost the bet. You can only leave if Cap'n Kokichi lets ya."

"I…I can't?"

Midna's shadow explained the intel she collected to Sector V. "So, Skaios is a Newborn, huh?" Dillon replied. "I should've known."

"But even though he's a god," Aurora recapped, "he received a permanent injury to his eye?"

"Still, this gives us more incentive to make an alliance with him." Artie said. "We want the Newborn on our side, don't we?"

"No, we want them stopped." Harry replied. "The Newborn we've seen so far have caused trouble in some way, and Skaios is no different. Maybe we can make him fall asleep like they did with Hoopa and Horror's Hand."

 _Or if we can seal him in something, like that pretty mask!_ Kirie signed.

"At any rate, I'm going to learn more about Skaios." Midna said. "We need to know what kind of darkness is controlling the Newborn, and if it's possible to change them. I don't think Skaios is really 'evil.' Just misguided. I'll report later." The shadow returned.

"Hey, Tani?" Mason spoke sadly. "I'm sorry that Sheila got carried away."

"Sigh… Whatever." Tani replied halfheartedly.

"It's orright, lass." Batu assured. "Your father's a master gambler. He'll get our kingdom back from that clown."

"Oh, goodie…" Tani's tone radiated with doubt for her father.

 ** _Santa Hylia_** **; the brig**

Doflamingo awoke, surrounded by his faithful subjects from Sector DR and Noah's Ark. His ideal circus was spread around them. The circus turned to dust. Noah's Ark turned to dust. Aeral Sarah and Bison turned to-

"Where the hell are you all going?!" Doffy snarled, his friends barely holding onto existence. "We have a damn kingdom to form! I refuse to do it without you all!"

 _Forget your New Dressrosa… Forget your title… You are no king, you are a common, everyday person. You are free._

"DAMN YOU! I am a king, and I will have you BEHEADED when I escape this place! Mark my WORDS!"

In reality, Doffy was trapped in a cell, his eyes reflecting those of Sasuke's Sharingan. "You're stubborn, just like that Faunus in the other cell. But I'll break those chains soon enough. Just as I will the others."

Many other monarchs lay imprisoned, from Queen Mira of Artemyra, Pugnacius of Goldpaw, and Evermore's King Evan.

 **Skaios' room**

Skaios joined Midna in a calm, quiet game of Uno. They hadn't said a word for 20 minutes. Midna knew from watching Dillon grow up: when a kid did something wrong, they preferred to sit in silence for long periods. They didn't like to talk about what they did. "…To be honest, Skaios, I didn't understand the meaning of life myself for a long time." The boy glanced up at her. "That was before I entered my 2nd Age. This form of mine is mortal, and I'm not really sure what'll happen when I die. Will I disappear… or will I just be reborn with no memory? It's a little unsettling."

Skaios softly put a hand to his eyepatch. "If that swordsman finished putting his blade through me… would I have died, too?"

"I don't know."

This question weighed on their minds for several minutes. The silence was broken when the door suddenly slid open, and Skaios whipped his head in Monaca's direction. "Hello, Skaios! We just finished our meeting. Would you like me to recap what we discussed?"

"Uh…" Skaios realized Midna had disappeared.

"Huh? Are you playing Uno with someone?"

"Er, n-no, just… myself."

"Ufufu. Skaios, why would you ever play a game as boring as Uno? The Inklings are going to have a Turf War, wouldn't you like to come?"

"I don't feel like doing anything. I…I killed some people by accident, and I…I feel bad."

"But you killed a bunch of people. It's fine, because they just become-"

"I don't care, I don't think we should kill any more people."

"Silly Skaios, pirates are supposed to kill people. And in our kingdom, we should be free to kill anyone we want."

"But don't people deserve the freedom to live?"

"But PEOPLE! Are! STUPID!" Monaca went into another tantrum. "Their logic smothered! By their own flesh! They need the sweet! Release! Of Death! To understand true freedom! It is your DUTY! Not playing a STUPID game! Like UNO!" She began to scatter the cards with psychic.

"But what if someone killed you? Would you be happy?"

"Ufufu! Monaca can't die with so many others being left behind. Monaca wants everyone to experience death. Monaca wants all her friends to sleep peacefully, and then Monaca will join them. So, Skaios, get rid of these silly thoughts that life is important." Monaca picked the god up and sat him in her lap. "Freedom won't truly come until death breaks their mortal bonds."

"F-Freedom won't come… until…"

"You'll understand some day. Now, how about we go watch that Turf War? If we get a front row seat, we'll catch the most paint, ufufu!" Monaca happily rolled out of the room.

Little did she know that Midna had hidden in her shadow. When she questioned the crippled girl's shadow, her response was, _Master Monaca knows best. Monaca will change the world._

* * *

 **I initially wanted to do a side-plot involving Doffy Jr., but I think I'll save that for another time. We got enough to go with in this saga! Sasuke is from _Naruto_ , and he's descended from Madara Uchiha; you know, one of the Thirteen Darknesses? Also, wanna guess who Squitaba is named after? :3**


	6. Inner Conflict

**This will be the semifinal chapter of this story. We didn't really explore much of the Free Kingdom, but it only leaves room for potential stages in _Pirate Wars_. P.S. I just finished _Splatoon 2_ , so let's celebrate with a Turf War!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 6: Inner Conflict_**

 **Inkopolis; nighttime**

As soon as twilight set, the Squid Sisters took their place onstage: Callie had purple leggings and long, twin black hair-tentacles, and Marie had green leggings and white hair tied in a bow. Both wore dark scaly dresses and black shoes. "GOOD EVENING, Inkopolis!" Callie announced with enthusiasm. Like all Inklings, her voice sounded like gurgling and was somewhat incomprehensible to human ears. "It's been a while since we've been on our homeworld! Let's celebrate this visit by making the best Turf War ever!"

"'The best Turf War ever'?" Marie questioned. "Talk about overhyping. You're just going to make everyone upset in the end."

"Hey, don't say that! Emperor Skaios is watching, so this battle needs ALL the hype! With Team Squitaba vs. Team Squam, this is sure to be an epic Turf War!"

"Yeah, but doesn't Squam have some new kid on the team? And it's a _human_. He's gonna get splat big time, and not in a good way."

"It sucks that he's on YOUR team then! Now, let's spice up this battle with a little song! And remember, guys:"

"Staaaay fresh!" they both cheered and posed for their adoring fans.

Artie Gilligan was armed with a blue ink gun and pack, standing with Squam and two other male Inklings. "So like, is this paint we're shooting, or do you guys harvest your own ink?"

"This guy's gonna suck." a hatted Inkling said.

"For your information, I'm an excellent marksman! I just have a natural curiosity for alien cultures."

"Well, if you're low on ink, just get some from the hydrants." Squam instructed. "Otherwise, you'll have a pretty hard time at this sport. …Okay, it's starting. Ready your weapons!" (Play "Ink Me Up" from _Splatoon_!)

All four splatters on either side divided and filled the town with color. Artie was equipped with a standard Sploosher, shooting globs at a rapid pace. His team also equipped him with several grenades, which required ink from his gun before he could throw them and explode a wider area in goop. "YIPE!" He dodged just inches from a sniper shot, leaving a long trail of orange ink. Artie saw the enemy Inkling up on a high ledge, but since his gun couldn't shoot that far, he attached a Squirt Rocket onto the cock. He pumped it with ink and launched up, the Inkling dodging before it exploded.

"Yo, get up there and catch her!" Artie yelled to the hatted Inkling, squirting an ink trail for him to squid up the wall. Low on ink, Artie filled up at the nearest hydrant. It was then a ponytailed orange Inkling (Inkabeth) dropped down to his level, beginning to cover his blue trail with a large orange roller. Artie thought the best plan was to shoot her directly, but Inkabeth moved swiftly toward a box, breaking it to find a Mega Mushroom. She ate it and grew to giant size, smirking at the frightened Artie. The boy bolted away as her steamroller weapon inked the width of the road.

Squam came rocketing on Inkpacks, stopping just in front of Inkabeth's face and grabbing his exhaust ports to spray ink in her giant face. Artie thanked him and resumed splatting the area. He broke a few boxes as well and found a Rain Bomb. By filling and launching it sky high, it rained blue over the region. Alas, Squillie began to shoot Squirt Rockets and cover some of that ground, so Artie hurried up and threw a bomb at her. Squillie took damage from the burst of blue, running to hide in her own ink to recover strength.

"Sucky thing about humans is," Artie dodged with a gasp when Squitaba nearly shot him with twin pistols, "if you get inked, you gotta take a long shower. We just need a quick dip in our own goop!"

"At least I have the bones to be bad!" Artie shot back, to which she dodged. "N-Not that I'm bad, I mean I'm bad to the bone. It's funny 'cause you don't have bones."

"Can it, Vertebrae!" Squitaba squid-slid right up to him, both up close and personal and shooting directly over each other's shoulders. They shot from various angles, but their keen dodging caused either one to miss. It almost looked like they were dancing, for both were quite enjoying this exercise. Orange was at Artie's back and blue at Squitaba's back. It came to end when the human dropped a grenade right between them. The explosion blew them both back, completely soaking Artie in his own color. But this gave him an idea, as he ran to an empty part of road and rolled himself, leaving ink behind.

Unfortunately, another opponent named Squidella came stroking a brush on the road, marking Artie with orange just before he tripped her. He was back on his feet and shooting the painter, but she twirled her brush in defense and sloshed ink back. "Artie, switch with me!" His teammate, Inthan tossed him his Ink Parasol, to which Artie gave his Sploosher. While Inthan dealt with Squitaba, Artie opened his parasol in defense against Squidella's blows.

Squidella submerged to replenish ink, but Artie chucked a grenade behind her, then shot where she was, severely damaging her from both ends. Artie held the trigger and released his umbrella like a rocket, covering a long path in ink. "Switch back!" Artie and Inthan returned their weapons. Squitaba glared at Artie with rivaling eyes, both running in parallel fashion and shooting constant ink, missing each other, but marking more territory.

Squitaba performed a great spin jump over Artie, surrounding him with rings of orange. Then, she submerged and began to circle him, Artie shooting a trail after her, but she jumped out and shot him, his left face orange. As he wiped off, she submerged again, getting behind and shooting, but Artie dodge-rolled and shot a Squirt Rocket, Squitaba dodging in the nick of time. He rushed over and refueled his ink, but Squitaba got close again and let loose.

This time, Artie braved her ink and forced his gun against her neck—she immediately brought her foot up and kicked it aloft. Artie planted his foot in her face and leapt, reclaiming the gun, slapping a Squirt Rocket over it. Squitaba had to wipe the blue footprint off her face, but her eyes opened to the rocket directly in front. Her life flashed before her eyes as her world was washed in blue. Squitaba flew back, defeated, left to lay in a puddle of peanut-butter and blue jam. (End song.)

"TIME IS UP!" the Squid Sisters declared. "Let's see the results." Callie said.

"Orange Team covered 102.7 square feet." Marie observed. "And Blue Team covered… 103.2! Yes! My team is the winner!"

"Darn it! I guess that human was more fresh than we anticipated!"

"WOOHOO! Gooo, Artiiiie!" Haylee cheered. Harry, Aurora, and Kirie offered their praise.

"Bravo, bravo!" Monaca clapped. "Wasn't that wonderful, Skaios? Monaca wishes she could get down and dirty like an Inkling."

"Aye, it was… truly splendid!" Skaios tried to be hyped for this battle. But something in his chest was weighing him down.

"That was amazing, Artie!" Squam praised, shaking his partner's hand. "You've got the juice of a real Inkling!"

"I'll say!" Squitaba came, offering her hand with a grin. "No man ever out-squirted me like you did!"

"Thanks, Squitaba!" Artie took her hand—it turned out to be a buzz-zapper hidden beneath her ink, but instead of a zap, Artie was drenched in orange.

"Nya ha-a-a-a-a!"

"Oh, very funny."

"Awesome job, Artie!" Harry said as his friends crossed the ink to join him.

"Guys, I've decided." Artie balled his fist and spoke with passion. "I'm going to become a splatter!"

"Not in those clothes. Clean up, Artie." Aurora ordered.

After Artie took a quick shower and changed clothes, the operatives met with the Hope Pirates in the Inkopolis Square, with Skaios in Monaca's lap. "Well, maties, ye sure know how to get down and dirty like real pirates." Skaios sported a grin. "Ay reckon you're fit to work with us!"

"Ufufu. That's nice, Skaios, but that decision is up to Captain Nagisa." Monaca replied.

The boy was silent for a moment, hesitating. "About that… we've been discussing with the Commanders about this matter—about a potential war with the other Yonko. And we're having difficulty trying to decide the best course, including whether or not to…ahem, trust you."

"But we have nothing against you guys." Aurora replied. "Er, except one of your crewmen _did_ kidnap Vanellope, soooo… we'd appreciate if you could ask him to return her." She smiled awkwardly.

"C'mon, Nagisa, they just wanna rescue their friends." Yuta said. "Let's help them out! I'd save you all if you were caught by the Yonko."

"I would like to, but it's not as easy as saying 'Yes.' As the captain, I want to ensure we arrive at a wise decision."

"Nagisa, can I be captain when you're done?" Kotoko asked.

"No way!" Masaru stated. "Last time you were captain, you made everyone collect 100 chestnuts and perform in a play."

"No one ever picks _me_ to be captain." Jataro said. "Probably because I would shame the kingdom with my hideous figure."

"Ay say we can trust 'em, totally!" Skaios beamed.

"That isn't your decision, Skaios, it's the captain's. Well, Nagisa?" Monaca asked.

"Please, be quiet!" Nagisa shouted. "I…I have a lot to think about and it's been a long day. Perhaps we should all get some rest. Sector V, we'll talk with you tomorrow."

"Okay, I guess. We better look for Sheila and the others before they get in trouble again." Aurora figured.

"Yeah, you go on ahead." Harry said. "…I actually wanna talk with that band."

 **Inkopolis News Studio; Squid Sisters' room**

On top of being star performers, the Squid Sisters also served as news reporters for their city and the Free Kingdom. They had returned to their own private room in the studio, enjoying Prism Juice to heal their throats.

"Boy, Marie, your team sure kicked butt today." Callie praised. "That human was more impressive than I expected."

"I guess he was pretty cool. Y'know, that Kokichi guy called me earlier. He said Sector V came here to crush the pirates and claim the kingdom for themselves."

"Really? You think they would return us to Prism Island?"

"I dunno. He's probably lying, anyway. Still, why else would they be here?"

"Who knows? Oh?" They heard a knock at the door. "I'll get that." Callie walked up and answered. Harry was there. "Hi! Have we met?"

"Uh, no. My name's Harry; I'm with Sector V."

"Oh, I could've sworn you were an Inkling! Those dreads look like tentacles."

"R-Really?" Harry blushed, touching his dreads. "Heh, I guess they do. Anyway, I was watching the battle a moment ago and… I gotta tell ya, I really dig your music." He smiled sheepishly.

"So we've heard." Marie replied nonchalantly. "You seem to have good taste, for a human."

"Yeah, we don't know too many outsiders who are fans of us!" Callie beamed.

"The thing is, I'm kind of a singer myself, so… Well, I mostly do rap, but still, I was wondering if you would teach me how to sing like you sometime."

"I'm not sure if I feel up to teaching Inkling to a human." Marie replied. "But if you're more into rap, we know another band we could hook you up with: Off the Hook. Pearl and Marina are the freshest rappers around."

"Wow, cool! Do they live nearby?"

"They should be down the hall. Marie, take him to introduce him! I have to use the little squid's room." Callie ran into the bathroom.

"Sigh, why me? Whatever." Marie got up and escorted Harry outside. "Come on."

Callie peeked outside to check that they were gone. She held one of her hair-tentacles up by her ear. It became an old-school telephone. "Calling Ineptune." The other end rung for a second before someone picked up.

 _"Callie, dear, is that you?"_

"Yes, it's me. Listen, Sector V of the KND showed up in the Free Kingdom, and I heard they're planning to crush the Sky God Pirates."

 _"Fascinating. Our spies say the other crews had run-ins with KND as well. This can't be a coincidence. Is there anything else? Is the Mobian Chancellor still in your kingdom?"_

"I'm pretty sure, but I'll look into it. Oh, and… there was one other thing. I overheard from the Mushroom Princess that the Sky Gods were planning to ambush the Kremling Krew. I'm not exactly sure when."

 _"Yes, Kroctus anticipated that the attack on Mobius would draw their attention. But thanks, anyway. Keep tabs on the chancellor, Kroctus plans to have her captured when all the chaos starts. And same for Princess Louise. Bowser still wants both of Peach's little brats. Report tomorrow."_

"Aye-aye." She hung up. She said to herself, "'Course, the declaration of war hasn't happened, yet~" She winked.

 _By eating the Call-Call Fruit, Callie is able to call people like a telephone, regardless of distance. All she must do is first touch her receivers. If she so chose, she could deafen her receivers with loud ringing. …HAH! Her name's Callie and she has a phone power! I love accidental humor._

 **Towa City; the _Light of Hope_**

The Hope Pirates returned to their ship, after which Monaca carried Skaios to her private corridor. When her friends were out of earshot, Monaca recapped what the commanders discussed. Or rather, her own version of what they discussed.

"The other Yonko declared war on us?"

"It's true." Monaca nodded with a smile. "The Yonko have agreed to ban together to take our liberated islands and divide them. But that isn't the worst part. Sector V is working for them also, with the promise they'll return their captured friends."

"S…Sector V? Does that include… all of them?"

"Well, yes, I would think so. Unless the Will of Rebellion awakens inside them and they abandon care for their friends, they'll likely betray us. Commander Sasuke's plan is to just destroy them entirely. But you don't need to worry; Captain Nagisa is forming the perfect solution. He's highly dependable. Still, he's just a teeny bit overwhelmed, so I wouldn't bring this up with him."

"Um… Okay."

"That's all I wanted to tell you. Don't let it dampen your spirits! But please excuse me; Monaca needs to use the crippled ladies' room. Ufufu! Monaca gets so embarrassed when she tries to use that complicated toilet." She set Skaios down and continued before entering a bathroom.

Indeed, the toilet in Monaca's bathroom had twin crutches to help her prop herself onto it, hoops with which to situate her legs, and other hoops for her hands. Her father had specially installed it after he "accidentally" crippled her… but Monaca had no intention of using such a degrading setup.

Instead, she pushed herself off her wheelchair and used psychic to open a ceiling hatch and unravel a ladder. With her own hands and perfectly functional feet, she climbed the ladder.

Once up in her secret room, she took her place at a desk and began writing with a feather pen. "Dear Lord Mandy, I have just attended a meeting with the Sky God Commanders. They are planning to invade your kingdom of Hyrule on the date of February 16. In fact, you should be receiving a declaration of war sometime beforehand. And it seems Nagisa, their fiercely intelligent current captain, is developing the battle plan. I hope you'll be able to make them despair, my queen. –Li'l Despair."

Monaca folded the letter, put it in an envelope, and slipped it into a Vanishing Box. Somewhere on Hyrule, a Miniblin opened the box and found the letter. They gave it to a Kargarok, who cawed eerily and flew to wherever Lord Mandy was.

"Ufufu. The Four Emperors are so fixed on building up their empire, they fail to look for faulty building blocks. They'll be torn up from the outside and inside, and that'll be super-duper despair-inducing. But Monaca can't wait!" She raised her arms and twirled like a gleeful little girl. "Monaca will use this war to open up the gates of Hell! So many souls will fall to the darkness!"

She ceased and gazed at a massive painting on her wall. "Isn't that right… Lord Ganon?" It was as if the Dark Lord's beaming visage were gazing at her from beyond the grave. "Well… time to forge that declaration of war."

 **Downstairs**

Just as Skaios turned to head back, he gasped when Midna rose out of his shadow. "Ah! So, that's where you were. …Hey, you said you're with Sector V. Is what Monaca said-"

"No, she's lying." Midna said firmly. "Sector V never made contact with the other Emperors and they had no intention to sabotage your crew. For whatever reason, that girl's trying to trick you."

"Argh… but how do I know YOU aren't trying to trick me?! Monaca's been me mate for two years, and ye only just showed up this morning!"

"It's true that we don't condone what you've been doing, but our priority right now has been establishing an alliance. And you yourself stated that you approve of us."

"Yeah, but me mates haven't decided, yet."

Midna folded her arms in quizzical fashion. "I wonder, Skaios, just how much power do you HAVE over your own crew? You are the Emperor, right?"

"That's just an honorific… or something. But I am equal to all mortals, in existence and rank!"

"No you are not! The gods designed mortals to learn things that even they could not, but a god's responsibility is to guide mortals when they seek help. There are also some gods that rule their own kingdom of mortals, like Darkrai or Kyogre, but while they don't try to interfere with their activities, they protect them. Since you created this kingdom, and this pirate crew, it's your duty to lead them. You should've taken part in that commander meeting."

"But meetings are boring!"

"It doesn't matter! Running a kingdom and an organization is hard work that takes strong leadership, and it doesn't help that your crewmen constantly throw the hat around. Even if your crewmen have more leadership experience, you're still a major member of this crew and you have to show interest."

"Augh, just SHUT UP!" Skaios grabbed and tugged his bandanna downward. "Ever since you've been here, I haven't been meself! All you do is make me feel bad about the things I do every day, and make me feel bad about my freedom. And why should I feel bad for thinking I'm equal to the mortals?!"

"Because not everyone is born equal. Everyone is born with different elements and different talents. Some Haki users are better at using the art than other users. It's their job to lead the people who are weaker. Even if you are a mortal and not a god, you have a duty to lead these pirates, because you're the one who brought them together."

"Urgh. Why… can't you just leave me alone? Making me feel so… weak. Why do you even care about me?"

"Because we're brethren. We were both created from Arceus's harvested chi and bread by the trolls."

"The who?"

"But if you'd rather I leave you alone, then I… huh?!" An unseen force took hold of Midna. "'The hell is… AAAAH!" The princess went flying down the hall.

"Midna?! MIDNA!" Skaios blasted after her.

 **Evermore; a few minutes ago**

"Nee hee hee hee! Oh, I can't wait to start playing with my new kingdom!" Kokichi beamed, sitting at an outdoor café from where he observed a scaled model of the city. "I'm gonna turn this mining camp into a massage parlor, this weapons guild into a beauty salon, and these muscly men are gonna work there! Oh, especially Fitch. I bet a back massage from him will feel like Miami and Heaven mixed into one."

"Hey! Kokichi!" The devious liar frowned and turned to face Dillon and Chris. "I want Vanellope back!"

"Oh, come to get your favorite toy back, huh?"

"Don't test me! You tricked Vanel into betting herself 'cause you knew she was brainwashed! Tani's dad told us how your Devil Fruit works, so tell Vanel she can come back to us."

"But you know I can take her back any time, right? I can't just give her away. You have to beat me in a bet first."

"Fine, but it better be an easy one." Chris stated. "I'm really not in the mood for any more crap, especially with how twisted this kingdom is."

"The bet will be a guessing game. Specifically, 'I bet you guys can't guess what my element is.'"

"Your element?" Dillon asked. "Like, 'bending' element? Like my Shadow?"

"Yes, exactly."

"That's simple enough, they told us you were a-"

"AP-BUP-BUP." Kokichi silenced him. "First, you have to bet something of your own, or Penelope won't officially be yours again."

"Fine, I bet my shoes."

"Seriously, you're weighing your own friend against cheap footwear? That won't work, you need something of almost equal value."

"Fine, then I bet Midna!"

"WHOA whoa whoa!" Chris halted him. "You can't be serious, Dillon!"

 _"C'mon, I'm Midna's chosen Guardian, there's no way she'll listen to anyone else, even in a bet."_ Dillon whispered through grit teeth.

"Nnh… I hope you're right."

"So, have you decided your bet?" Kokichi asked, smiling wryly.

"Yes, I bet Midna against Vanellope, whoever wins takes both, right?"

"Very well, then the bet is sealed! I bet you can't guess my element!"

"I bet I CAN guess it! You're a darknessbender!"

"ANCK! I'm a timebender!"

"WHAT?! You're a darknessbender, we saw your aura at the stadium!"

"Yeah, and it didn't look anything like Time Chi." Chris replied.

"Well, you're wrong! I AM a timebender and I'll show you." Kokichi walked up to Dillon and took his hand.

"…?!" Everything began to move in slow motion. Kokichi took Dillon for a short stroll around Evermore. The citizens were almost frozen; he estimated two minutes to finish a single step. Butterflies hung in the air. The breeze was thin. Time had slowed down.

Kokichi returned Dillon to Chris and let go, restoring time's flow. "Huh, what happened?" Chris asked.

"He just slowed time!"

"What?!"

"The bet is won! I am a timebender, and Kokichi gets Midna!"

Before he knew it, the Spirit Ball flew right out of Dillon's pocket! It headed for Kokichi—but it curved around him and into the hand of… the real Kokichi! "AH HAHAHAHAHA!" His face shone with malice. "You fell for it! You actually fell for it, hook line and sinker! I already told you my crewmen could make bets on my behalf."

"A fake?! But then who…"

The fake took off his wig and revealed to be a gray-skinned alien. "What's up, bitches?!"

"ROGER THE ALIEN?!" the boys screamed.

"AAAH HA HA HA HA! You didn't recognize him at all! He didn't paint his skin or nothin'! Ha ha! Ha hahaha! You had no idea he was one of my crewmates!" Kokichi was practically dying from laughter.

"Very funny, you bastard. Midna won't listen to you, anyway!"

"Midna, I command you to return to me!" Kokichi raised the Spirit Ball.

"You're really trying my patience, buddy!" Chris grabbed him by the scruff. "You better make a new bet and let us win, or I'll roast you alive!"

"Aaaaahhh—uuh!" Midna crashed and bounced on the ground by Kokichi.

"Good timing. Midna, throw this guy away."

"Huh?!" Midna gasped, obeying her order and snatching Chris in a Hair Hand, throwing him elsewhere. "Dillon, what the hell is happening?!"

"Dillon wagered you in a bet and he lost! I'M your new Guardian now!" Kokichi's expression was one of nightmares. In this moment, he felt like he had all the power in the world.

"Dillon, is that true?!"

"I-I didn't think it would work! His Devil Fruit couldn't be that powerful!"

"Well, it is! Say good-bye, because Midna is a member of my crew, and of the Sky God Pirates!"

"She _is_?…" A new voice spoke from above. Skaios had pursued Midna and was surprised by this revelation.

"Ahh, Skaios, good timing. Guess what, two of Sector V's members are in our crew now. Why don't the rest of you just give up and join us?"

"He tricked me!" Dillon yelled at Skaios. "Tell him to give back our friends!"

"He's not the current captain!" Kokichi refuted. "Besides, when I was captain, I decreed that I could take whatever I want with my powers and do whatever. It's a Free Kingdom, right Skaios?"

Skaios found all eyes on him: the operatives, the pirates, nearby townsfolk, but especially Midna. Hers was the kind of glare only a big sister would make. It was the sign of that final exam where he was expected to do the right thing. It made him anxious. Skaios would always just rule Kokichi's actions as having fun, but with Midna watching him… he did the one thing he'd never do. "Kokichi… g-give Midna back."

Now, this was a curious sight. It was interesting enough for the Evermore citizens to record the scene on their Leafbooks. Everyone could only stare at Skaios before Kokichi spoke. "What?"

"Um… M-Midna should be free to pick her own team. You shouldn't force her to be in yours."

"Well, technically it's not her choice, it's Dillon's choice. That's why he was able to bet her. Now it's my choice, but the point is it isn't hers."

"Well, I still choose to be with Dillon." Midna said firmly. "And it was also my choice to get to know you, Skaios. Dillon didn't order me to."

"Oh, so you were seeing Skaios behind our backs? Obviously, she was trying to manipulate him." Kokichi replied while casually checking his nails.

"I was not, I was offering him advice. Now, give me back to Dillon!"

"Never! I'm the boss of you now, so you follow MY orders! Heck, I can even make you my girlfriend! Now kiss me, mmmwwww…" Against her better judgment, Midna and Kokichi had locked lips.

Blood swelled to Skaios' head, so he kicked Kokichi with such speed that he crashed into and collapsed the wall of a shop. The Ultimate Liar felt not pain, but shock as he climbed out. The sight of Skaios' fuming face was truly astonishing. "…All I did was kiss her. I should have the freedom to kiss whoever I want. That's the law of this kingdom, right? There are only moral laws."

". . . . Grrrrrhhhhh!" It seemed Skaios was trying to squeeze his own head. "Nyaaah-haa-haaaa! What the hell is happening to me?!" No matter how much he squeezed, answers would not pop into his brain. "I'm the God of Freedom! I listen to no one and order no one! I've always been free, so why do I feel so cramped?! Why do I feel so… heavyyyy?" Skaios plopped onto the ground. "Wah ha haaaaaah! Wwwaaaaaahhhh!" A stream flowed from his eye, and everyone feared to get close.

Midna gently scooped him up in her Hair Hands. "I'm taking him to his room. Excuse me, 'Captain.'" And off she flew.

"Sigh… Hormones are such a pain." Kokichi said.

"Midna…" Dillon could hardly believe such a development occurred, or that it was thanks to Midna. "Hm… Chris, let's go back to the _Sunny_. We'll settle this tomorrow, Kokichi." His recovered friend provided no comment on the situation, and they left the town quietly.

 ** _Sunny Day_**

"That should about do it." Haruka said after repairing Tani's last wound. "I recommend getting rest, but you should be ready to fight again in the morning."

"That's good. But I recommend having Sheila's head examined." Tani glared at the Faunus, who was seated on a chair with her head bowed.

"C'mon, don't blame Sheila." Mason said. "We didn't know what Skaios' power was. And besides, I think it's wearing off."

"Aye. Me head feels woozy." Sheila said. "I got carried away. I'm sorry, Tani. Because of me, you all got kicked out of your kingdom."

"Well, it's gonna take more than that. You lot are here to make an alliance with Skaios, but I'd sooner skewer the brat. We're on opposite sides."

"Tani, we want to help you, too." Haruka said. "We'd like to persuade Skaios to return all these islands. …And beat the ever-living snot out of Kokichi."

"Sigh… If nothing else, I just want to see Evan's face again. I just want to save him. But he's trapped in that bloody flagship."

"Oi, Tani!" Batu barged in. "Check your Leafbook!"

"My what? Oh." Tani pulled out a phone designed like a leaf. "What's… this?"

"The townspeople were all recording it. Skaios had a breakdown in the middle of Evermore. Kicked Kokichi like the soccer ball he is!"

The operatives eagerly ran to see this on the Leafbook. Many people were making comments on the dramatic conflict. There was also a post from Roger that said, _You think this Kokichi costume looks kinky?_

"…Haha, he really does look like a soccer ball!" Mason laughed.

"And that isn't the only thing." Batu said. "Take a look at what the crewmen are posting."

Other posts revealed pictures and videos from other islands. In Towa City, all the children were either tired or crying. "My big brother got hurt because of me!" a boy cried.

"M-My mom was in the race earlier. Is she okay?" a girl asked.

"My daddy, too. I know he was mean, but…but I'm worried about him."

"The Will of Rebellion." Haruka instantly realized what was wrong. "It's disappearing."

"Is this because of Skaios?" Mason asked. "Did he… lose his will to rebel, too?"

 **Orchid Island; hospital**

"RAY-RAY!" Juniper charged up the stairs and halls ceaselessly.

"So, you're FINALLY worried about him!" Monroe said reprovingly, panting as he chased her. "When your parents hear about this, you won't be resting for a year!"

"Ray-Ray…" She finally arrived at her brother's room. "Ray-Ray, I'm sorry. I never should've let you fight."

"Nnnh… Hey, June. Does this mean I'll get my own pyramid?" Indeed, no part of him was visible under his bandages. "Get it? 'Cause I'm a mummy."

"Huhe… Ray-Ray." June let out a chuckle, smiling in relief that he had enough energy to crack jokes.

 ** _Light of Hope_** **; deck**

"Hey, does anyone else feel weird?" Jataro asked his friends. "It's true that no one can get weirder than me, but the weirdness I feel is just a tiny bit different from my usual level…"

Masaru and Kotoko's glum expressions gave him an answer. "Is what we're doing… right?" Kotoko asked.

"How could it not be?" Nagisa replied. "Our parents were monsters. Even if we felt a tinge of regret in killing them, it was far better than suffering."

"Yeah, of course it was." Masaru nodded. "Right, Yuta?"

"Huh? Uhm…" The swimmer meekly rubbed his arm. Of course, he had only lied about killing his own parents… He couldn't imagine doing something so awful, whether they were bad people or not. "Maybe, but… I feel like things have gotten out of hand."

"Out of hand, Yuta?" His heart lightly skipped a beat when he heard Monaca's voice. Her wide eyes were peering into his heart. "What are you saying? Have you forsaken our ideals?"

"N-No, of course not. We were just talking, and…"

"Just talking?" There was a mild rise of anger. "You should be talking about our next plan. What island shall we take next? What oppressed peoples need saving?"

"Monaca, I've been thinking a lot about our next plan." Nagisa said with a calm composure. "I care about the welfare of our kingdom, but… a war is another story. We are unprepared. We do not have the resources. And our kingdom feels… unstable."

"I'm disappointed with you all. You, Nagisa, for showing weakness when you're supposed to be leading us." Sweat began to trickle down him like a waterfall. "And the rest of you, for forgetting all the great work we did. We can make the universe a better place by liberating all the evil adults. And the Yonko are our highest priority. If we win this war, we will change the universe."

"But for the sake of our kingdom, we should try to avoid war."

"And do the Yonko sympathize with your opinion, Nagisa? Nooo… they will strike us when we're helpless. And we'll be most helpless… if our leader fails."

"No…No, I will not fail. I'm sorry, Monaca. I will do my absolute best for our crew. I'll stay up all night and develop 20 strategies."

"Good, Nagisa!" Monaca smiled. "Monaca is proud of your diligence. The rest of you should show diligence, too. Train your hearts out for the upcoming battle. Monaca will depend on each of you." And she returned to the cabin. The five remaining warriors shared nods and marched to their rooms. Yuta mentally cursed himself for not speaking up. Even if he could resist Skaios' will, it was harder to resist Monaca's.

 ** _Saint Rosalina_**

"Are you two feeling better?" Cheadle asked Romeo and Kiki.

"My head's a bit achy, but I'm alright." Kiki replied.

"Yeah, thanks Ms. Yorkshire." Romeo said. "What did we miss out on?"

"Nothing much." Maria answered. "But we need to take Dogmom to Queen Peach."

"Don't call me 'Dogmom'! Peach is Dogmom! I mean, she's Mommom! …Ugh!"

"Chill out." Louise said. "I'll have Squam and Squitaba sneak you onboard a Hat Ship first thing in the morning. I won't be going myself, of course."

"What about June?" Oliver asked. "Or the other cruise ship passengers? Shouldn't we help them?"

"Not without backup." Wendy replied regretfully. "This is too big a job for our little team. Let's find somewhere to sleep and be ready to leave early."

"Yeah, anywhere that isn't this ship." Phil said. "This place smells like seal doo."

They disembarked and climbed back down to Inkopolis. From the _Rosalina_ 's roof, a red-eyed ninja watched them.

 **Strong Island**

The Cloudcoil Pirates all met a few yards away from the docking bay, reviewing the Leafbooks once more. "I've never seen Skaios look this weak." Khunbish said.

"How long you reckon he'll be upset?" Munokhoi asked.

"I don't know." Tani replied, a spark of passion in her eyes. "But I'm tired of waiting. First thing tomorrow, I think we should do it."

"Do what, lass?" Batu asked.

"Rescue Evan, of course!"

"D-Don't get ahead of yourself! His ship is still heavily guarded, and he'll skewer us the second he catches wind. A little sadness ain't gonna stop a Pirate Emperor."

"He attacked Kokichi for taking one of Sector V's friends! That means he would have to let us take Evan back, too. But I'm sick of waiting, so let's fight! We'll message all the fighters in Evermore and ask them to join us. We'll get Evan, and then we'll flee this kingdom! Then we'll round up our allied armies, and find other allies, and we'll come back for Evermore!"

"And what of Sunny Fist?" Khunbish asked. "Shall we ask their help?"

"They just want to ally with Skaios. Helping us will put them on his bad side. We're Evan's subordinates. It should be us."

"Ugh… You're too reckless, lass. But that's all my fault." Batu said. "Orright. Send word and rest up, lads. We're getting our king back. Bringing him back to the sun."

* * *

 **When it came to these stories, I didn't initially plan to give the Yonko the development that I gave them. Sherry's friendship with Akko, Mandy's lesson, and now the lesson Skaios is learning. It kinda stems from _Hunter x Hunter_ , with how powerful, monstrous villains can still learn lessons. Except K. Rool, but only because he's perfect as is. Next time, the ending of this prequel.**


	7. Mutiny

**I got addicted to _Ni no Kuni II_ again. The game just does not want to end and I love it. So, let's throw up a bunch of side characters with brief descriptions! I call this one, "A Wikia editor's nightmare!" (Also there's a Number Cryptogram.)**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 7: Mutiny_**

 ** _Santa Hylia_** **; Skaios' room**

Skaios was put to bed as Midna returned with a cold towel. "I must say, I never hear of a god developing a fever very often. Let me take that bandanna off."

"No!" Skaios sat up, holding his headwear. "It's embarrassing."

"I'm too mature to laugh at silly body parts. Most of the people I work with have stick limbs, but plump hands and feet. Like, how do they not weigh their selves down?"

"Hnnnrr… fine-but-don't-tell-anyone." he said quickly. Skaios pulled off the bandanna, and a fluffy gray cloud of hair puffed to life.

"! …" Midna resisted the urge to snicker. She composed herself and spoke rationally. "Interesting. Jirachi is another Firstborn, and he has a star head. It's fitting for Firstborn to have bodies befitting their element."

She gently placed the cold towel on Skaios' cloud. Steam emitted from it as the cloud was rumbling. "Does this cloud change form depending on your mood?"

"I think. Most of the time, when I'm excited, it swirls around. It looks too weird though."

"Makes sense. You seem to be struggling with yourself, to put it bluntly."

"Or maybe it's 'cause I just embarrassed myself in front of my entire crew! I can't believe I listened to you; you've been nothing but frustrating this whole time!"

"You showed authority to your crew, as the captain. The TRUE captain."

"But that isn't what I'm supposed to be! I want to be equal to my crewmen. I don't want to be above them."

"Skaios, are you serious about your crew? About this kingdom? Do you really want your ideals to come to life?"

"Of course! This crew is the best thing I've come to know! I want the whole universe to have fun and be free like this kingdom!"

"Then you need to start acting like it. You're the symbol of this crew, so you need to get serious. Even a 'Free' Kingdom needs to be organized and run with a strong leadership. I know it sounds controversial, but it's the only way your ideals will thrive."

Skaios sighed. No matter how much he denied it, it only hurt him. But how could he do what Midna said, show authority, and still be able to embody freedom? He didn't know, but maybe he should try. "But I…I don't know how to lead like…like an actual ruler."

"But some of your crewmen have leadership skills, don't they? You can ask them for help. But you have to remind them that you're the Emperor, the symbol of this crew. You have to logically think about their opinions and whether or not to sign off on them."

"…" Skaios faced her with an earnest twinkle in his eye. "Will you help me, too?"

Midna smiled and placed a hand to the cheek below the eyepatch. "Sector V is my responsibility; I have to go back with them. I'd like it if you could make Kokichi give me back to Dillon. But promise me you'll become a great captain."

"I…I'll try."

"Eee hee hee! You should probably get some sleep for now. But when you wake up, you should be ready to introduce a brand new you to the kingdom."

"Okay… I will."

 ** _Innocent Smile_** **; dining room**

"Many thanks for joining me for dinner, Monaca." Kokichi said, seated across from the child as they dined on steak and peas. The table had a dice design, as did the wallpaper, while the floor had a purple carpet. "So, what's the occasion? Wanna tell me any juicy secrets?"

"Monaca tires of eating with her noisy friends. She prefers a more dignified setting with a healthy meal. All they eat is yucky pizza and hotdogs."

"America was such a bad influence on us. Good thing President Jimmy kicked the bucket."

"But I wanted to inquire about your new crewmen. The ones you gambled from Sector V? Do Monaca a favor and refuse to return them."

"You sure?" Kokichi's eyes narrowed in an upward crescent, with pure malice seeping from them. "Aren't they our new allies? Our wonderful friends? It would be awfully sour to get on their bad side."

"Monaca reads them like a book. They're desperate because their organization is crumbling. Their leader is nowhere to be found, their friends are being captured like butterflies. In their hearts, they're crying, 'Oh, please be our friends, Sky God Pirates, we can't stand to have anymore enemies!'"

"Nee hee hee! Sounds about right. Earth's greatest sector is afraid of losing their pride, so they need to rely on friendship. Well, if they wanna be buddies, they won't mind if I play with Midna and Candy Girl, won't they?"

"That's right! And Monaca hopes Kokichi will let her play with them, too." She closed her eyes and swayed her head to an unheard tune. "Vanel-chan will love our virtual death courses."

"I see no reason to share with you." Kokichi stood and about-faced for a moment. "I mean, I'm already keeping your naughty secrets." And he faced her with a gun trained, his crescent expression unchanged. "My darknessbending protects me from your mind-tricks, and my Observation Haki can see through any lie."

"Monaca is very grateful to Kokichi." Her smile didn't falter, but she held her fingers ready to snap and set off a bomb. "She would be positively ruined had he not shared her ideals. But everybody would HATE Kokichi if he tries to ruin Monaca. Because Monaca would have everyone go out in a blaze of glory."

"It's a good thing neither of us fears death."

"We'll only come back as spirits."

"Then why bother waiting? Let's get it over with now."

There was a stalemate. Crescent eyes were peering into round eyes and vice-versa. Kokichi's finger was on the trigger, and Monaca was set to snap. Whose finger would react faster? That was the question looming between them.

…Click! A cuckoo bird poked out of the gun's cock. _"It's a lie~"_

"Ufufu!" Monaca folded hands. "You know how to make Monaca smile~"

"It's all in the name of fun." He grinned, tapping the bird to his head.

"Hah…" The two returned to their food. "Tomorrow is going to be pretty eventful. Let's hope Captain Nagisa isn't overwhelmed by the pressure."

 ** _Light of Hope_** **; Nagisa's room**

The only light in this darkness was Nagisa's desk lamp. His eyes were bloodshot as he wrote ceaselessly. "As a swordsman, Meta Knight is obviously the best match against General Tsao, but as Tsao leads a team of Gorons, we'll need some earthbending White Lotus to combat them. Ah, but if Tony Butch arrives to back up Tsao, we can have Juniper fight him. Wait, should we reserve Meta Knight for Rā's al Ghūl? Yes, perhaps. No, Commander Sasuke is specialized in stealth, as is Rā's. No, Sasuke is far more powerful, he should fight Majin Buu. Wait, is Buu a Haki user? If he isn't, then perhaps Vaati could fight him—would his magic affect Logia airbenders? Oh, speaking of Logias, we should have Kokichi fight Pawtucket Pat, since his Darkness can nullify his defense. Or should we reserve that for a more powerful bender? I wonder how well Kokichi could effect—FUCK, A TYPO, FUCKING DAMMIT TO FUCK!" He erased it like a madman!

"So, Kokichi could AFFECT Mandy's fearbending, maybe, and he might be able to resist her, but she's still pretty strong physically, so perhaps…"

 **The next morning…**

The light peeked over the horizon. Sector MG slept at an Inkopolis hotel, on comfy, squishy jellyfish beds. Cheadle and Maria shared a bed, the latter snuggling closely to her mother figure. Though the conditions were satisfactory and comfortable, a mild anxiety weighed on their minds. They were anxious to leave this place at the stroke of morning, but they feared the comfort of sleep would cause them to miss their deadline.

"Oi! Wake up, you lot." Wendy and Romeo were jabbed in the face by the hilt of Louise's staff. "Time to rise and Shine Sprite!" The group was groggily waking up. "Come on, the ship is-" She stepped on Phil's discarded clothing.

"SQUEEEAAAK!" Her foot nearly crushed a mouse, which zipped out of the shirt.

"HOLY HECK! Some quality room THIS is!"

"PHIL!" Oliver jumped out of bed and gently caught the mouse. "Phil, you okay? Anything broken?" The mouse rubbed his back.

"That thing is your pet?" Louise asked.

"He's not a pet, he's a teammate!" Oliver replied, grabbing the purple pills. "See for yourself." He fed Phil a pill, and the mouse sprouted into a naked human.

"HOLY DAMMIT!" Louise shut her eyes. "Give me a damn WARNING next time! !"

With everyone dressed up, Louise led them to the roof of the building. A Hat Ship hovered next to it. "Skaios will probably move the islands by noon. Now's the best time for you to leave; then this ship can come back and no one will notice."

"See, Mom?" Maria spoke, lightly kicking the air. "I am getting better!" Indeed, she hadn't used the wheelchair on the way up.

"That's good, Maria. It'll be easier to recover once we're out of here. …Er, but don't call me 'Mom'!"

Maria was the last of her friends to walk onto the ship. "Oh, and if Queen Peach asks, I don't want another…" But when they turned back around, Cheadle had vanished. "Cake?"

"M-Miss Yorkshire?" Wendy called, searching around with a look of concern.

"All of you, step off the vessel." To their surprise, a ninja with a fox mask rose from the shadows. "By order of Commander Uchiha, you are forbidden to leave the Free Kingdom."

"And what's stuck up Uchiha's butt all of a sudden?!" Louise asked.

"Miss Louise, your attempts to aid in their escape may be seen as treason. The commander will want a word with all of you."

"Where did Miss Yorkshire go?!" Maria demanded.

"As an influential ruler of a powerful nation, we cannot allow her to leave."

Louise gasped. "The King's Brig! Don't tell me you're locking her in there?!"

"You are asked to surrender yourself-" The ninja pulled a kunai.

"Expelliarmus!" Oliver disarmed him, and Romeo followed with a flaming kick to the head. The ninja hid in the shadows, but Romeo used a bright Light Flame to track him, he and Oliver pursuing and attacking until he was down.

"Guys, Commander Uchiha's a master ninja!" Louise said. "He probably used some technique to swipe the doglady without us noticing!"

"How do we save her?!" Maria shouted.

"He'll be heading to the _Santa Hylia_. That's where we lock up kings and queens!"

At this moment, Sasuke was leaping across the city with silent speed, a casket strapped to his back. "What's the meaning of this?!" Cheadle shouted, struggling in the casket. "Why can't I break free?!"

"This is the law I proposed as the 4th Sky God Captain." Sasuke spoke sternly. "Rulers such as yourself possess the most influence, and such influence is harmful to the Sky Gods' ideals. You must be imprisoned for such time that your ideals and responsibilities as a ruler are broken. I can help with that." His eyes morphed into Sharingan.

 ** _Santa Hylia_**

The White Lotus guards grew hopeful at seeing the sunrise. It signified the end of their shift, and blissful sleep would soon be theirs. "Hey, Kuzco." an earthbender greeted his fellow firebender. "You up for hittin' Goldpaw after this?"

"Hyeah right." Kuzco chortled. "I'm getting too old for this 'freedom' nonsense. Why do you think I chose to stay up here instead of going to that train-wreck of a kingdom?"

"I here ya there." Both leaned on the railing of the deck. "Is Vaati still hooked on that 'finding the Original Worlds' thing?"

"Yeah, that's why Louise tried to find those ring things. Honestly, it's gonna get us all killed."

"Aye. I'm thinkin' of going back to Earth Kingdom and screwing this place."

"Me, too. …Oh look, a bunch of those Avalarans are riding the Air Tunnel." Kuzco indicated a massive crowd, led by Tani and Batu, surfing the zigzaggy tunnel straight up to their deck.

"Hah! I like watching people fly in those things, they're like a swarm of spider-flies!"

"Hey, did you hear that spider-flies might be going instinct?" The Avalarans were ready to attack.

"They are?"

"Yeah, they keep getting trapped in their own webs." The guards were too tired to notice the obvious threat.

"Well, how's it gonna affect the ecosystem?"

"Some people say it'll lead to an infestation of butterbees," Tani was screaming the call of battle, "and if you ever been stung by one of those things, it-"

"AAAAIIIIIYAAAA!" Tani mercilessly speared them into submission. "Warriors 4 Evermore, commence Operation: Save the King!"

The Lotus guard in the crow's nest was fast asleep, but awoke at the sound of fighting. He peeped over the edge, eyes popping at the sight of a conflict. "OI, Commander Vaati!" He fished around for his communicator. "We're under atta-" Khunbish flew overhead on an Air Rider and dropped, knocking him out. (Play "Boss Battle" from _Ni no Kuni_!)

A Lotus firebender shot flames at Muriel, a Mobian cat in a green dress, but despite her appearance, she was very nimble, combatting the guard with a bow-and-arrows. A Lotus poisonbender spread gas around the deck, but Marlene, a mouse Mobian, used a magic bubble to protect herself, maneuvering toward the Lotus before casting a chi-block spell on him. She proceeded to disperse the gas with Ventus. A Lotus waterbender threw Ice Discs to attack Phorkys, a Fishman, but only a few cuts were dealt before Phorkys struck her with a Water Sword. Afterwards, a young Fishgirl with blue hair hurried over to Heal Phorkys with her own bending. "Thank you, Speio." Phorkys said.

A human boy with green goggles named Chip hooked up some small magibots to a door terminal, the entrance to the ship's cabin. Several minutes passed, all the while more guards tried to attack him, but a platoon of robots protected him, controlled by Oz, a man in a blue suit. "How much longer, Chip? My Beta Corps can't keep this up!"

"In just a few… GOT IT!" Chip exclaimed as the entrance opened. "TANI, THE CABIN'S OPEN!"

"ALL TROOPS, PULL BACK!" Tani bellowed.

"What're ya sayin', Lass, let's go while the gettin's good!" Batu argued.

"W-Wait, I didn't say that!"

"Don't be lyin', you tramp of a daughter!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Tani shouted with fury.

"I-It wasn't me!" Batu panicked in defense. "Somebody was mocking me!"

"BOSS, ABOVE YOU!" Khunbish cried, too late as two arrows fell and stabbed Batu's arm and Tani's leg.

They saw Katniss Everdeen falling, but the Lotus sniper transformed into a bird to make for a soft landing before changing back. This was all thanks to her Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Mockingjay. "Is this some sort of mutiny?!"

"Not even close!" Batu said, readying his axe. "We only want our king back! Otherwise, we don't care if you all fall to Davy Jones!"

"Tani, we'll hold her off!" Moggie May, a blue cat Mobian, stood in the way with a bow aimed, archers accompanying her. "Hurry and find Evan!"

"Aye-aye!" Tani quickly applied soreaway bandages (healing plants) to herself and Batu with her bending. With their wounds healed, they rushed to the cabin.

With several Evermore Warriors by their side, they stormed the Sheikah Tech hallway. Meta Knight's Star Knights obstructed their path, but were chopped by Batu's axe like logs. Defeating the impish Nightmares was a simple task, it felt like, and Batu was about to do the same to one bundled in a black cape. But an arm punched out of that cape and blocked the axe, and Dio Verando kicked Batu off his feet. "Arrr, I thought ye were another Star Knight. But it was you, DIO!"

"YOU MADE THAT REFERENCE ON PURPOSE!" A furious Dio threw a punch, to which Batu countered with Haki.

A band of Mobian dogs cleared the hallway of Star Knights, led by Ya Pi, a dog in golden armor. _"Nuuuuuooeee…"_ His ears perked at the sound of moaning. The dogs saw a horde of Alternian trolls hurriedly limping their direction, their blank eyes glowing blue. "What are those?!"

"I think those are Aranea's minions!" Tani said, her arrows doing little to slow them. "They're zombies controlled by her psychic, but I think they're on autopilot. We'll have to rescue Evan before the Commanders catch on for real."

"Aye, that we will!" Batu caught Dio in an arm-lock and pounded his head. "Just as soon as I'm done smashing this scallywag!" Dio morphed into a bat to escape, then reformed as he grabbed Batu's arm and slammed him to the floor.

"Chip, stay with me!" Tani pulled the boy genius along with him. "I might need your hacking skills to free him."

"Okay, but I can't run that fast! Slow down!" (Pause song.)

 ** _Sunny Day_**

Mason woke to a rather quiet morning. With his friends barely waking up, he went up to the deck to check on Sheila. Almost as he expected, she was already on her feet, gazing at the sunrise. "As crazy as this kingdom is, you can't beat the view, eh Sheila?"

She was silent for a moment. "…Mason, what do you s'pose Cheren would say if he found out we were up here?"

"Uh, I dunno. He'd probably be glad we were trying to make new friends. You know he loves makin' friends, right?"

"Oi think it's cowardly." she stated simply. "It's one thing to not make enemies of our enemy, but makin' friends with 'em is another thing."

Mason would always look forward to seeing her shiny smile against the rising sun. But today, Sheila was frowning, practically angry. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ever since Cheren left, the KND's been falling to pieces. Our mates getting captured one after the other, and what do we do? Make buddies with the blokes doin' all the capturin'!"

"But Sheila, these pirates haven't purposely antagonized us, yet. And we'll reason with Kokichi-"

"That's what I mean." She was in no mood for humor. "We got so afraid of these pirates that we'd rather reason rather than rumble. Call it a sixth sense, but I feel them laughing at us. Laughing because Earth's greatest sector had to resort to relying on these scoundrels. And that laughing hurts my pride as a pirate! I want to be able to rely on me own crew, not me bloody rivals! And not just Sector V, I'm talking about the Kids Next Door. We're the strongest crew in the universe, aren't we? We sailed all the way to New Galaxia and crushed the biggest band of pirates ever known to alien!"

"Heheh…" Mason was humored by the irony. When they first set sail as the Raccoon Pirates, Sheila was glad to be away from the Kids Next Door. She was ready to renounce them. She wanted Sector V to be its own crew. Now, she would rather side with the KND as a whole instead of her own crew? "It's too bad we couldn't keep all the power-ups we got-"

"Mason." Sheila stood next to him. Her voice was only meant for his ears. "I won't side with the Sky God Pirates. I'm gonna leave this crew if it comes to that."

Pure truth flowed with her words. Mason could have attested this as one of Sheila's childish speeches, like during the N.E.C.S.U.S. mission, when she expressed outrage at the lack of adventure. She failed to see the importance of this alliance over her "pride." Still… could he argue? Deep down, he too questioned if these pirates were trustworthy. But things would only be worse if they made direct enemies of them. If Sheila was stubborn enough to leave, how would that affect them?

 _"Nyaaaaaaahhhh-hah-hah-HAH-HAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"_ These thoughts were disturbed by a madman's wails. Kokichi Oma was bolting up the valley like a lunatic escaped from jail. He skid to a halt a few yards from the platform and kneeled, pounding his head into the ground. "Oh, PLEASE help us, Sector V! It's a disaster!"

"What's that noise?" Chris asked, the others climbing up on deck in their pajamas.

"Hey, it's that Kokichi creep again!" Haruka scowled. "What are you whining about?!"

"THE KREMLINGS! A bunch of Mobians from the Kremling Krew are attacking the _Santa Hylia_! And Skaios is still sick, there's no way we can stop them! Please, I'll return Midna and Penelope, I promise!"

"Shouldn't an Emperor's crew be strong enough without their captain?!" Chris retorted.

"Look, they're our allies now. We have to help them." Aurora reasoned. "Besides, we want our teammates back, right?"

The ops returned below to get dressed. Sheila scowled down at Kokichi; his pouring eyes morphed into joyful crescents. "You might not be teammates after today."

 ** _Light of Hope_**

"Captain Nagisa, it's an emergency!" Kotoko cried, barging into his room. "The Cloudcoil Pirates are attacking the flagship! They're saying it's a mutiny!"

"A MUTINY?!" Nagisa's bloodshot, bulging eyes met Kotoko's sweet pink ones. "HOW MANY ARE INVOLVED?! I already finished the battle specs for the Cloudcoil Pirates against the White Fang! I LOST 20 MINUTES OF PLANNING!"

"I-It's mainly the Cloudcoil, a-and a bunch of fighters from Evermore. Er, and I think they said Louise was a traitor?"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME, LOUISE?! Do these hoodlums not realize how much WORK I put in for them?! I'm straightening this out ONCE and for all!" Nagisa pushed Kotoko aside and marched forth, his mind all but broken. (Resume song.)

 ** _Santa Hylia_**

Sasuke arrived at the flagship, nimbly leaping to the upper deck. For a moment, he was taken aback by the chaotic atmosphere taking place on the lower deck. "When did this become a morning activity?" he remarked.

"GIVE BACK MY DOGMOM!" Sasuke dodged the laser fire that rained around him, seeing Sector MG aboard a Hat Ship. The ninja channeled lightning to his fingertips and fired, destroying the ship with pinpoint accuracy. Fortunately, Wendy protected them in a Protego, the seven kids landing on the deck.

"You Kids Next Door are a hindrance to the Sky Gods." Sasuke readied another bolt of lightning. "Since the Will of Rebellion failed to awaken inside you, I'll have to do it myself!"

Faster than wind, Vaati's foot kicked Sasuke's arm skyward, directing lightning to the heavens. "I told you not to attack my DAUGHTER!"

"Are you betraying us as well, Vaati?"

"I have the freedom to protect my family in this damned kingdom!" Vaati unleashed a flurry of kicks upon the ninja, but Sasuke read every move and blocked with matching speed. He used Haki to grab Vaati's foot and twist it, but the Minish morphed into wind and blew him up to the air, only for Sasuke to use a Substitution Jutsu with a barrel.

"That casket has a Japanese sealing tape." Oliver observed. "I know a spell that can break it, but I need help aiming."

"Try this, Ollie." Philip handed him a rifle designed to fit Oliver's wand in the cannon. The wizard used a scope to focus on the casket.

On the lower deck, Sector V and Kokichi had arrived. The chaos taking place was a stark contrast to the peaceful, quiet atmosphere on their ship. "This looks less like an invasion and more like fanservice for a fantasy game." Haylee commented.

"I can't even tell who's on whose side." Artie replied.

"Obviously, the Mobians are the bad guys!" Kokichi insisted. "They're the Kremlings, duh! Now, get to thrashing, please!"

"So be it!" Without questioning, Chris charged and threw a Flame Fist at Raxel, a mouse in black armor. The heat became unbearable, so the mouse was quickly felled. Aurora froze some dog Mobians in ice, and Haruka immobilized the cats with syringes. The robots were sent to combat them, to which Artie shot them with a laser rifle and Haylee bashed them with her wrench.

"Oi, what gives?!" Khunbish shouted. "Why's the KND helping them-" He was bashed in the head by a brutish Dice Pirate.

"Can't say I don't welcome it." Katniss said, deciding to abandon her battle and fly into the cabin as a Mockingjay.

Aranea and Meta Knight had also arrived, surveying the battle from the sky. "Sector V's already 8eing a 8ig help, it seems." Aranea smiled. "It'll 8e easier to we8 the tr8ors now."

"Yes. We can only hope Commander Uchiha…?" Meta Knight's gaze fell onto two particular operatives. "The Uno children…" As if by a trigger, Monaca's words reverberated in his mind. "The Galaxia Sword…" Aranea felt a psychic aura encapsulate his mind, as if Monaca planted a mental seed that would only grow in this condition. "THE GALAXIA SWORD!" And Meta Knight swooped down, striking at Aurora and Chris with no warning.

"WHOA!" yelped Aurora. "Who the heck are you?!"

"My name is Meta Knight! Now, which of you holds the Galaxia Sword?!"

"Meta Knight? From the Firstborn Quest?" Chris had nearly forgotten that part of the story. "W-We don't have the sword!"

"No matter! If it means owning it, I will FIGHT YOU!" The Unos could only evade Meta Knight's sudden swings. Aurora entered Ice Fury and froze his sword with frosty kicks, but Meta Knight would only remain frozen for a second before resuming the assault.

Shaking her head in disbelief at the knight, Aranea began to trap the fallen Avalarans in psychic spider-webs. Now, the Hope Pirates were the next to fully absorb the disaster, and Nagisa slowly drowned in a pool of despair. Vaati vs. Sasuke, Meta Knight vs. Aurora, and yet other Sector V ops were assisting in the Avalaran capture. "What should we do, Captain?" Masaru asked.

"…" Nagisa dropped. This was too much for him to handle, it was too much. His parents were scolding him from Hell. He was an absolute failure.

"Wellp, then I'm gonna join the fun! AAAAHH!" Masaru stormed into the fray.

"W-Wait, Masaru!" Yuta called. Watching as Kotoko and Jataro tried to take part in the battle, fear began to consume the innocent boy's heart. _I don't think we can survive a war at this rate… I can't take this, anymore. I have to escape, but how?_

 **King's Brig**

"EVAN!" Having finally reached the brig, Tani and Chip ran past each cell before finding their king. "Evan, there you are! Please, can you hear me?!" She pressed her hands to the energy barrier.

A 14-year-old Faunus with cat ears and golden hair groggily lifted his head. His royal attire was damp with sweat and reeked after months of going unwashed. "Uuuuhh… T-Tani… is that really you?" After all the brainwashing at the hands of Sasuke, and trying to resist it, he thought he was hallucinating.

"Yes, Evan, it's me!" Tears of joy glinted off her face. "Don't worry, we'll save you! Chip, hurry!" Her comrade was currently hacking the cell's terminal.

"Should we save these other captives?"

"I want to, but we don't have time. We'll come back for Evermore and save everyone-"

A deadly gust of wind blew into the chamber, sending a chill down Tani's spine. Emperor Skaios was marching in, rubbing a tired eye. "Arrrrgh… why is there a trail of sleeping guards leading to this room?"

Tani was almost confident that Skaios was still in despair, almost positive that he would be too weak to stop this invasion. Perhaps that was still true? But if it wasn't, he could kill her and Chip in the blink of an eye. Until Chip could free Evan, she couldn't let that happen. With fear driving her heart, Tani lunged at the imp! "AAAAAAAHHH!" Skaios was too tired to realize the spear was aimed right at his other eye. Tani was going to tear him limb from limb if it meant saving Evan!

And the spear tasted blood! But not Skaios'. A shadow had suddenly gotten between them, horrifying them both! Midna had been impaled in the stomach. "KUEHF!" She threw up shadowy blood.

"MIDNA!"

"No!" Tani withdrew the spear. "Y-You're the one from the video! The one Kokichi…"

"Cough…" Midna showed him half of her smile. "Even if you're immortal and I'm not… no one hurts my brother."

". . ." A storm raged on Skaios' head. The anger he felt toward Kokichi was now felt for Tani. "You… How DARE you…"

"No, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…"

"HOW DARE YOOOOOUUU!" A great typhoon pressed Tani and Chip to the end of the room.

"PLEASE, I CAN HEAL HER!" Tani despaired that her nearly-victorious plan was utterly crumbling. "PLEASE, JUST LET ME!"

"I gave you all freedom, and THIS is how you repay me?! How dare you abuse my gift… HOW DARE YOU ALL! !"

Upstairs, Batu had aged to a bitter old man, having been bit too many times by Dio. "Didn't know my bites could temporarily age my victims, huh?" Dio smirked. "I'm afraid this battle is over."

"Dio, where did the forest girl go?" He faced up at a familiar Mockingjay.

"She went to the brig, let's go get her!" Dio transformed, and the bat and bird flew deeper into the cabin.

Vaati cast an Evenstar spell (a massive dark sphere) at Sasuke, the ninja flying far to the side to evade, after which Wendy froze his feet to the deck with an ice spell. In that brief instant before unfreezing, Oliver shot the Mornstar Rifle, zapping the casket's seal with perfection! Cheadle sprung to life out of her prison, and Sasuke's attempt to slice her was thwarted as Vaati blew him off the ship. But one Substitution later, Sasuke was back, his ninjas surrounding the mages.

As mayhem raged in every direction, Sheila couldn't help but feel suspicious. If these Mobians were Kremlings, then why were they assisting the Cloudcoils, and why were those human warriors helping them? "P-Please! Pleeeease!" She gasped, seeing Muriel the cat Mobian trapped helplessly in a psychic web. "Please, Sunny Fist! We only wanted to help Evan. Please, save him!"

Sheila immediately knew: Kokichi lied. They were not Kremlings, they were Tani's friends. How could they be fooled? "…What does Evan look like again?" she whispered.

Within a few minutes more, Skaios came out of the brig, dragging Midna's wounded form. Katniss dragged Tani and Chip by the arms, and Dio escorted the elderly Batu. Skaios could not believe this mayhem. The entire crew was amassed on his deck! There were Monokumas against Avalaran robots, Undyne against Fishmen, zombie trolls, White Lotus, Star Knights, Inklings defending Louise from ninjas, the Hope Pirates fighting the child warriors, it was an absolute clusterfuck!

"I'm not ready to be Captain, I'm not ready!" Nagisa shook.

"Ufufu! Monaca loves fireworks!" Monaca repeatedly snapped her fingers, exploding multiple soldiers whose clothing she touched.

"I will have the Galaxia Sword!" Meta Knight declared.

"I said we don't have it!" Aurora insisted.

"We have to save Evan!" an Avalaran yelled.

"KREMLINGS EVERYWHERE!" Kokichi cried.

"Oi, hands off me daughter!" Batu shouted at Katniss.

"Hands off my daughter!" Vaati attacked Sasuke.

"Hands off my daughter!" Cheadle knocked out a ninja. "I MEAN, MARIA!"

Skaios could not take it anymore. Filling his lungs to the brim, the captain ended it all: _"EEEENOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUGH!"_ (End song.)

Everyone faced the captain. They had never seen him so frustrated. He swooped by Nagisa and took back the captain's hat he rightfully owned. "I don't know what the hell's going on, but there's going to be some changes around here! If you all won't get serious about this kingdom, then I have to MAKE you! We're supposed to be fighting for freedom, not each other! We probably look like a joke to the other pirates. Well, not anymore, because I'M the one and only captain from now on! Any objections?!"

"Not at all, Captain!" Jataro saluted. "Also, I would like to report a mutiny!"

"A mutiny. And who is responsible for this… mutiny?"

"It was them, sir!" Kotoko pointed at the culprits. "It was Tani, Batu, and the Avalarans!"

Skaios glared at the one who hurt Midna. The injured Twilight Princess gazed at Skaios with a mixed sense of worry and pride.

"I see… and what of you, Sector V? What's your business up in here?"

"They helped us, Captain!" Kokichi grinned. "They helped us stop the nasty traitors!"

"They did?…" This fact broke Tani's heart. She looked at Sheila with the worst disappointment and betrayal. And Sheila felt this.

"Um, wait." Aurora spoke, her Fury dying. "I think there's been a misunderstand-"

"Then my decision is final." Skaios beamed. "Sector V has proven to be our maties! They are our new friends, and we will gladly rescue their fellow mates from the clutches of the dreaded Yonko!"

"Oh! Well… that's great!" Though she was still very confused, Aurora smiled in thanks. "I'm glad we could help."

That's when Sheila snapped. "Hold on! There's another mutiny taking place!"

"Aye? And what's that?" Skaios asked.

"MINE! !" Her Midas Fury was unlocked! At the speed of light, she DASHED into the ship!

Mason had no idea what her plan was, but he thought he understood the general gist. "MINE, TOO!" He swallowed an entire can of Silver Flurp, channeled all the gas to his lower intestine, and rocketed to the air! The pirates could only stare with confusion. "Mini Atomic GAS BOMB!" The deck was swallowed by a green, toxic cloud! Both Sky Gods and operatives alike choked and coughed in the stench.

Sheila found her way to the brig, past all the KO'ed guards, and recognized Evan based on the description: a fellow Faunus, albeit with cat features. "AAAAAAHHHHH!" She unleashed rapid-fire Light Fists upon the terminal until it had no choice but to shatter. The barrier was down, so Sheila grabbed Evan and got away!

Her Light Fury was gone by the time she returned, but as the gas dissipated, Sheila made her presence known on the railing. "I'm becoming my own pirate, and I'm taking this prisoner with me! Catch ya later, drongos!" And she fell off the ship! This was both to be dramatic, and the fact she was physically exhausted.

"I wanna be my own pirate with you! !" Mason jumped after her.

"Hold on!" Skaios was going to chase them—he was stabbed from behind by a large icicle, going through his eye. "AAH! I CAN'T SEE!"

To the pirates' horror, Yuta Asahina was the culprit! Not once slowing down, he grabbed Tani in his arms, ran for the edge, and cried, "I'M COMMITTING TREASON, TOOOO!"

"YUTA?!" his former friends cried. ("Ufufufu!" Monaca giggled.)

And with that, all five escapees were falling thousands of feet toward the ocean. "OI, SHEILA!" Mason called. "Is there a reason why we jumped off?!"

"I was just tired! ! There was no other way out of there!"

"I can swim, but I don't know if I can survive this!" Yuta cried.

"THIS IS THE EEEEEND!"

But the descent stopped! A blue beam was suspending them. "NO! We've been caught by Aranea's psychic!" Yuta said.

"It's not psychic!" Tani beamed. "It's a traction beam! IT'S BRACKEN!"

"Who?!"

"She was supposed to pick us up after the rescue! We might be able to escape!"

They were all pulled into a blimp-shaped airship, which took off immediately afterward. "You had me worried for a moment there, Tani." said the pilot, a pink-haired woman in a yellow shirt. "I thought you wouldn't make it."

"I almost didn't. …Thanks, Sheila."

"Hehe!" the raccoon grinned on the floor, too tired to stand.

"But why did you help, Yuta?" Mason asked. "Why did you betray them?"

"Oh, I guess I didn't tell you." Yuta recalled. "The truth is-" The ship suddenly halted.

"Something's caught us!" Bracken said. "It's psychic energy!"

"Drat! It really is Aranea this time!"

Indeed, the troll captain was able to bind them in a psychic grip. She reeled them in with all her strength. All those on deck watched the scene with anticipation. With no eyes on him, Kokichi smiled up at the sails. His short, female crewmate gave a thumbs-up, aimed a sniper rifle, and shot.

"AH!" The bullet lodged into Aranea's head. She released her grip and fell. "A chi-blocking bullet?! Ugh, it must've been an Avalaran!"

"I'll save you, Nea!" Undyne dove into the ocean. She grabbed Aranea in her arms and rose to the surface.

"Thanks a ton, Fish8ud!"

"Anytime, Zombuddy! Here, lemme get that bullet out." Undyne buried her fin into the bullet hole and yanked it out of Aranea's undead brain. "Euck. Brain goop." The two shared a laugh.

"All ships, do not let the traitors get away!" Meta Knight ordered, a squad of Star Ships taking off.

The Free Kingdom was now miles behind the ship's back. "There's more coming!" Mason yelled. "Is this ship meant for space travel?!"

"Unfortunately, no. But I can escape them." Bracken answered.

"As soon as you do, find a KND treehouse."

"Uhhhnn…" Vision returned to Evan's eyes. A familiar face slowly formed. A face that positively delighted him. "Tani… how long was I in there?"

A tear graced the curve of her smile. "Too long, Evan. Much too long."

The two shared a hug. Mason, Sheila, and Yuta smiled. Though they might not've known these two very well, it was clear they were lifelong friends. Though, Mason felt they reminded him of another pair.

"Ah, excuse me." Evan was helped to his feet. "I know this isn't the most favorable of circumstances, but thank you for saving me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am…"

 _King of Evermore, Candidate for "Supreme King"_

 _EVAN PETTIWHISKER TILDRUM_

On the _Santa Hylia_ , Haruka began to treat Midna's wound. "First time I ever had to treat a god."

"I'm not exactly feeling godly anymore…"

"But what were Mason and Sheila thinking?" Haylee wondered. "I mean… mutiny?"

"She wanted to help Tani's friend, but she didn't want us to get in trouble because of it." Harry deduced. "That's the best I can figure. And Mason went with her because he always does."

"It's gonna be tough to go without them…" Aurora said.

"Captain Skaios." The boss was approached by Sasuke and Vaati, his eye in the process of healing. "I wish to report another treachery. Sasuke allowed a bunch of prisoners to escape."

"It was my daughter, and you tried to kill her!" Vaati argued.

"Quiet, both of you!" Skaios ordered. "Vaati is one of my most capable leaders, so I'm keeping him around. Now make yourselves useful and round all these mutinous blackguards to the brig."

Vaati and Sasuke exchanged a cold glance, mentally calling a truce. "Eee hee hee." Midna giggled. "I never would have believed it, but you might actually make a pretty good leader."

During Skaios' speech, and after the ninja grunts were KO'ed, Sector MG had vanished. A neon paint portal was left, but it was quickly erased by Squitaba's ink. Sector MG, Cheadle, and Louise reappeared in a portal in Inkopolis. They made a hasty getaway in Kiki's broomstick S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. "Well, thanks to you clowns, I'm now a traitor." Louise said. "You really know how to wreck my life, Maria."

"You're lucky we all managed to escape, young lady!" Cheadle stated. "And I expect you to show respect to your mother when we get to her castle."

"Whatever, Dogmom."

"Growwwllll!"

 **GKND H.Q.**

Sheila's group had been fleeing the pirates for a full day before they managed to lose them. With the aid of a Mushroom KND sector, they were taken to GKND. Sheila summed up the mission to High Supreme Leader Nebula in one sentence.

"Sector V defected from the KND?!"

"Yep." Sheila nodded simply. "They're Sky God Pirates now, the traitorous blokes."

"Hmmm…" Nebula placed a hand to her forehead. "This sounds too weird to believe, but it is troubling nonetheless. Sigh, I feared it wouldn't come to this, but it seems we can't avoid a fight with the Four Emperors any longer. I'll mobilize all our forces."

"Now, hold on a second. As much as I wanna get back at those buggers, this is a matter between pirates. And we need to honor the pirate traditions."

"What're you talking about, Sheila? And how will 'honoring the pirate traditions' save our friends?"

"Nebula, how much you know about Pirate Culture, anyhow?"

"I, uh…I didn't think pirates had a culture."

"Would ya care for a lecture, mate?" Sheila smirked. "Oi know everything there is to know about the Pirates' Code, and there's some bits of it that'll really pique your interest. Especially considering you're a girl of culture to begin with."

"…" It was true that Nebula was extremely fond of any and all cultures, and she dreamed of getting to know as many as possible. But even if Sheila was right and that pirates _did_ have a culture… what was she planning? Nebula folded her hands and responded, "I'm listening."

* * *

 **I actually have some bigger plans with Evan, so that's why they're receiving so much emphasis. Now, normally I would ask my usual "who were your favorite characters" bit, but people don't even answer unless you ask them directly. But I would like to thank Sarstar for her feedback on this fic! We can't stop now—this is only the beginning! With the 4th prequel finished, we are all finished with all F0U4 Emperors—**

 **FOUR—Four—F-Fo-FOUR—**

 **FOUR EMPERORS-17-21-5-5-14—F-FOUR EMPERORS—**

 **FOUR—14-5-2-21-12-1—FOUR— _FOUR_ —FOUR! ! ! FOUR… FOur…Four…**

 **…**

 **Four?…**

…

…

The chains bound him to the very bottom of the Sanzu River. He could hear all the voices of the dead, relishing in their despair. Not a single bubble, not one tiny ounce of breath existed. His lungs were filled with the toxic liquid, his body weighted by thousands of fathoms of pressure. Just as he always preferred it. It was what filled the void in his empty heart.

His slimy eyes glanced up: a huge metal box was slowly descending from the surface. It disturbed the bleak silence with its cranking noise. To the visitor, his form was barely recognizable in these dark depths. His body was one with the seabed: his tentacles wriggled in the currents like seaweed.

The elevator stopped. Magellan, a large demon with bat wings and a black warden's uniform, spoke through a microphone. "Davy Jones, you have been specially summoned for an important event. You will be transported and supervised by our guards to the Mortal World."

"Huhuhuhahahaha!" A spark of life brimmed in Jones' chest. "So, it has finally resumed-ah! The Pirate Wars. I pray they have not forsaken the ancient ways?"

"I was told to ask if you still had the contract." Magellan said.

"Yes… I have kept it on me at all times-ah." Davy Jones reached behind his tentacled beard and extracted a scroll. He unraveled it. It was written in ancient font.

 _Ye who hath sworn an oath to this Contract_

 _Doth offer thine soul to the one who claimeth the Crown_

 _Ye who win this war shall be bestowed the highest status._

 _All the wealth of the world be yours._

 _-Davy Jones_

 _-Kaido_

 _-Marshall D. Teach_

 _-Sorbetes Linlin_

"The Four Emperors of old swore the souls of their crew to this contract. Unfortunately, the war never met an official conclusion. Blackbeard's crew were detained by the gods due to him being one of the future Thirteen Darknesses, and Sorbetes was not considered the true Emperor of the Big Mom Pirates; the late Sherry was still deemed the leader, and she had not signed the contract. And I, myself, was struck down by that wretched Eva. Only Kaido and his Beast Pirates met a proper end in this war. But with this new generation of Emperors, the war will finally conclude-ah! And I… will FEAST on their souls!"

The tentacles enveloped the contract, suckling and savoring it as Jones imagined a flavor. He could already taste those thousands of succulent souls. "Yes… all Five Emperors… let us finally drown in the depths."

 **The story continues with _The Fifth Emperor_.**


End file.
